Back in 1893 Miss Bertie Bradford, Minneapolis, caught a nine and one-half pound muskellunge. The next day Miss Clemens, Kansas, hooked a pickeral which weighed 10 and one-half pounds. Then an A. Jackson, New Paynesville, landed a 12 pound pickeral. To finish the record, Z.D. Steele, New Paynesville, caught 84 fish in one day.
In 1900 N. O. Parsons and A. P. Nelson were pictured holding a string of 45 pike. The pike were caught in two hours and thirty minutes with two lines and hooks.
A party of five Omaha fishermen spent a few days at Koronis in 1902 and reported "wonderfully good success." During one day they captured close to 300 fish. One member of the party brought in 30 black bass.
Youngsters Myrtle and Mildred Rice went fishing near the old landing in August 1904. In the process they found a frog, baited their hooks and waded into the water as deep as they were able. Myrtle landed a five pound bass on the beach and Mildred beached a three pound bass.
In February 1905, "a kind citizen remembered the hospital with the donation of an enormous muskellunge." The fish weighed 18 pounds and was 40 inches in length and 21 inches in girth. Credit could not be given to the donor, who preferred to remain anonymous.
In August 1905, one of the guests of Lake Koronis' Far View Inn, Mrs. Schermerhorn of Burlington, Iowa, succeeded in landing a 14 pound pickerel. In addition she brought in several pike, each weighing six or more pounds.
Within ten minutes John Cook made one of the largest hauls recorded in New Paynesville history. Standing near the inlet to Koronis, he speared three muskellunge that together weighed fifty- five pounds. The largest of the three weighed over twenty -three pounds.
My favorite fish story involved a sheriff and game warden from Willmar who came to Lake Koronis hungry for white fish. Before turning in for the night, they placed their nets in the lake. "During the night some of the boys took their boat and placed it up in the trees and also cut the floats off their nets. As a result they are still hungry for white fish."
Even though we no longer see the massive amounts of fish taken out of Lake Koronis as once took place, fishing continues to be an active sport. With a little bit of luck, the right bait, and some patience, even someone in my family might land a fish, or perhaps a fish story, as a part of a view from the lake.
Information for the above column was taken from the following issues of the New Paynesville/Paynesville Press: August 23, 1893, September 6, 1900, June 5, 1902, February 23, 1905, August 17, 1905, November 20, 1913.