Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-04-13
OLD TINE FISHING.
TUE CURSE OF THE DAsNABLE DAMS
WILL THE PEOPLE MUCH LONGER
SUFFER- TUFMI

of SUFFER THEMi
1r The following, copied from the Bel
Il wick Independent, will prove interest
n ing reading to those Of our reader
: who are fond of fresh fish as well a
enjoying the sport of angling for them
The letter was written in response l.
a request from the Wyoming IIistor
r lcal and Geological Society
BERWICK, Pa, Feb. 90, 1881.
. Harrison Wright, Esq, Secretary of IN
Wyoming Historical and Geological
J Society, Vikes.Barre, Pennsylvania
My DEAR SIR:-Your letter request
: ing me to give your Society my recol
" leetions OF the shad fisheries in my
early days was duly received l will
do so with great pleasure. But first
!, lot me premise: | was born February
y a 20, 1892, in Briarcreek township, Nor.
0 cumberland county, now Columbia.
. | write or dictate this letter on my
eighty-ninth birthday. | have lived
} near the Susquehanna river over since
/ was born. My knowledge and rec.
elections about the shad fisheries ex.
tends from Wilkes Barre to old Nor.
cumberland. The first shad fishery
near my house was Jacobs Plains
This was located just above the town
OF Berwick and one Of the most pro.
duotive fisheries on the river. Here
| have assisted in catching thousands
upon thousands of the very finest shad,
weighing eight and nine pounds.
The next nearest was Tuckaho fish.
cry, situated about one and a.half miles
above Berwick, on tho same side OF
the river. At this place many thou.
sands were caught night and day, in
early Spring. Tho next was down
tho river about six miles from Berwick.
This was the fishery of Benjamin Boon.
At this fishery | have known so many
caught that they were actually hauled
out by the wagon load on Benny Boon's
farm for manure; so plenty were they,
The next fishery was that of Samuel
Webb, located about four miles this
side Of Bloomsbury. This was an i'm
mense shad fishery. From the banks
Of the river at this fishery, could be
seen great schools of shad coming up
the river when they were a quarter of
a mile distant. They came in such
immense numbers and so compact as
to cause or produce wave or rising
of the water in the middle Of the river,
extending from shore to shore. These
schools, containing millions, commen.
ced coming up the river about the
first of April and continued during the
months OF April and May. There was
something very peculiar and singularin
their coming The first run of the |
first great schools that made their ap.
pearance in the early Spring, were
the male shad-no female ever ac-
companied them. In about eight or
nine days after the male had assembled
the river, then followed the female IN
schools heavily laden with eggs or roe.
These were the largest and finest and
commanded the highest price. Those
shad that were successful in eluding
the seine and reached the Matching
ground at the headwaters Of the Sus.
quehanna, after depositing their eggs,
returned again in June and July, al.
most in a dying condition, so very poor
were they. Many died and were found
along the river shore. The young fish
would remain at their Matching places
until late in the Fall when they would
follow the old shad to the salt water.
During the Summer they would grow
from three TO four inches in length.
The Susquehanna shad constituted the
principal food for all the inhabitants.
No farmer, or man with q family, was
without his barrel or barrels of shad
the whole year round. Besides fur.
nishing food for the immediate inhab.
itants, people from Mahantango, Blue
and, in fact, for fifty miles
around, would bring salt in tight bar.
rels and trade II for shad They would
clean and salt the shad on the river
shore, put them in barrels and return
home. The common price for sbad
was three and four cents each. Be.
sides shad, there were many other
kinds Of food fish, the most noted
among them was the old Susquehanna
salmon, weighing as high as fifteen
pounds. The salmon were considered
even superior to the shad and com.
manded higher price. They were
caught in seines, on hooks and lines,
and were the sport 10 the gigger at
night. Noscopeck Falls, directly op.
posite Berwick near where the Nesco-
peck creek empties into tho river, was
a noted place for salmon fishing with
hook and line. Men standing on the
shore with long poles and lines, would
often in drawing OUT the fish, lodge
them in the branches of the trees, Civ
ing them the appearance Of salmon
producing trees, The shad fisheries,
which | have alluded TO, were not
common property. The owner OF the
soil was the owner OF the fishery and
no one was allowed to fish without n
permit The owners of the fisheries
also had seines and when not in use, !
they would hire them out TO others
and take their pay in shad. The
soiner's share was always one-half the !
catch. Shad were caught both night q
and day in seines. AT the Webb fish. I
cry | have known eleven and twelve '
thousand shad taken at one haul. 7
These fisheries were always considered
and used as source of great pleasure,
value and profit, and everybody de.
pended on them for their annual fish q
and table supply. IL was considered y
he cheapest and best food by ALL I'm. n
after the erection OF the riv. !
,r dams, the shad became scarce, the 4
'eines rotted, the people murmured,
heir ayocation was gone and many 7
I'D fishermen cursed Nathan Beach :,
or holding the plow and the driver :,
If the six yokes Of oxen that broke the i,
,round at Berwick, for the Pennsyl. :, =
'ania Canal. The people suffered y
more damage IN their common food
upply, than the State profited by her =, -
internal improvement" as it was ~
allied. Although eighty-nine years y y
I'D to-day, | still hope TO live long III
nough to SEQ all the distractions re-
moved from one end Of the noble Sus. tC
Iuehanna river TO the other and that al
he old stream may yet furnish cheap el
ood to the two millions Of people who Il
inc its banks and that ] may again
tand on the shore Of the old Webb Il
shery and witness another haul Of SC
en- thousand shad. All of which is 81
most respectfully submitted for the 81
consideration Of the honorod Society,
which Won hnve the honor IN renrescnt I,