468 
FOREST AND S T R E A M 
September, 1919 
FIGHTING THE FRESH WATER TIGER 
SOME REMINISCENCES OF A TRIP MADE THIRTY YEARS AGO INTO THE WILDS 
OF WISCONSIN AND OF A MIGHTY BATTLE WITH A GAMEY MUSKALLONGE 
T he northern part of the state of 
Wisconsin is almost a network of 
lakes, lying isolated or in chains, 
connected with one another by water- 
ways, with outlets into Lake Superior or 
the Mississippi River. These lakes vary 
in size from a few acres to several square 
miles in extent, and are filled with a va- 
riety of fresh water fish. Among the 
gamest of these are the black bass, wall- 
eyed pike, pickerel, and that tiger of 
fresh water the lordly muskallonge or 
maskinonge in the Algonquin tongue. 
Some contend the name is derived from 
the French viasque longue or long face. 
The name is certainly appropriate as the 
nose is so long and the jaw slightly prog- 
nathous which gives the face a sad and 
almost sinister appearance. In the esti- 
mation of many the muskallonge has no 
rival as a delicious food fish, the fiesh 
being firm, fine of grain, and sweet. 
Whether old or young, small or large, 
the quality is unimpaired. It is a curi- 
ous fact that of the fish mentioned, the 
bass, pike, and pickerel, or the bass, pike, 
and muskallonge, are found in the same 
lakes but never are the pickerel and mus- 
kallonge found in the same water. I have 
never heard a satisfactory explanation 
of this but the fact remains. 
The name “tiger” as applied to the 
muskallonge is no misnomer for, as he 
lies in wait for his prey on some shallow 
bar extending into the lake, concealed by 
w'ater lily pads or submerged weeds, he 
exhibits the same stealthy patience as the 
tiger of the jungle or plain, and woe to 
the food fish that crosses his line of 
vision. With a lightning like swirl he 
closes on his prey and those long jaws 
and needle-like teeth never let go. When 
feeding, the musky, as the natives call 
him, is voracious in the extreme. I have 
caught more than one that had the tail 
of a sucker, his favorite food, still in his 
mouth, the body and head being in pro- 
cess of digestion in the stomach. Like 
the brook trout, the musky is absolutely 
rapacious and when feeding will kill and 
devour to his utmost capacity. 
Since the advent of the railroads into 
this north country most of the favorite 
haunts of the musky have been discovered 
and at the fishing resorts, which have 
sprung up on many of these lakes, one 
may meet sportsmen from all parts of 
the country and nearly every state in the 
Union. Thirty years ago the railroad 
had only recently been put through, con- 
necting the central part of Wisconsin 
By F. H. GRAHAM 
with Lake Superior. This road ran for 
the greater part of the way through vast 
pine forests and numerous settlements 
had sprung up surrounding saw mills. 
From these towns wagon roads, used by 
the lumbermen, led through the woods 
to numberless lakes that had never been 
fished except by Indians or woodsmen. 
These afforded rare sport to the lover 
of the wilds. 
O NE August morning, about the time 
of which I write, my friend Ted 
Pope and I boarded a train bound 
for the north country of sport and ad- 
venture. Our duffle bags were well 
packed and we felt that we were due to 
kill a big fish. After traveling about one 
hundred miles north by train, we alighted 
at a small saw mill settlement, so new 
that the shingles on the houses were not 
discolored. After numerous inquiries we 
finally found a half breed Indian who 
agreed to drive us out to Moose Lake, a 
distance of about eighteen miles, although 
he refused to guarantee our reception at 
Jake’s, a sort cf stooping place for log- 
gers and trappers. “I don’t know,” said 
Twenty-eight pounds of fighting Muskie. 
Joe, our driver. “Mabeso, if whiskey all 
gone, Jake be good, if not, be very bad. 
Say he shoot any Indian come near lake.” 
We decided to chance it and were glad we 
did. Our drive of eighteen miles through 
those woods was an event in our lives and 
something to remember. I have taken it 
many times since but it never has given 
me the thrills I experienced that first 
time. The road was good, except in spots, 
having been used for hauling supplies to 
distant logging camps. The lofty pines 
towered above us, interspersed with hard- 
wood ridges covered with maple, elm, ash 
and hickory, standing thick and quiet 
and affording fine cover for the deer 
which were numerous. 
Then another stretch of pines, with the 
road resembling a lane through them and 
the ground level and covered with a coat 
of brown needles. Thus does nature build 
and furnish her house until man comes 
along and makes of it disorder and ruin 
where it was so beautiful and old and 
quiet. In some of the openings the 
ground was literally covered with blue- 
berries, although it was August, and such 
berries! The clusters were almost as 
large as bunches of grapes. From the 
midst of them would start up families 
of partridges or Canada grouse. We 
passed many small lakes and occasionally 
the call of a loon would come to us, so 
like -the cry of a human in distress that 
we were always startled. Joe would say: 
“That loon,” nothing more and what 
more was necessary? We, so called civ- 
ilized people, certainly waste a lot of 
time merely talking. Joe’s contributions 
to the conversations were not numerous 
or lengthy but always to the point, such 
as: “Deer crossed here last night,” or 
“Bear signs here.” These brief bits of in- 
formation told us all that we were most 
anxious to know. We arrived at Jake’s 
about sundown and found him in fairly 
good form and after his man Ed. had 
helped to put the horses in the log stable, 
we repaired to Jake’s hotel, a log cabin of 
good size, and sat do-rni to a supper of 
mutton, patatoes, bread and tea. In the 
woods, and out of season, venison is al- 
ways mutton. If the man of the house 
does not care to take a chance on the 
game warden he leaves a bottle of whis- 
key or a piece of bacon at some appointed 
place on the trail and finds in its place 
a sack of mutton. Although he may 
never meet the Indian he can always be 
reached in this indirect way which he 
much prefers to open trading. 0%’er our 
