The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-03-02
Catching Sainaon.

! SEASON ut 81. Material OF all kinds
is higher than heretoiure, l.bur Is
scarcer, and competition keener. AL
ready the salmon have commenced To-
make rheir appearance and, before
many weeks the river will be dorted
with buats catching the first run "a
plenty" 1t is thought that the thirty
seven canneries of Astoria and vicinity
viii run twelve hundred boats this
season, and with anything like aver
age luck, the pack of '82 will exceed
even the $40, 600 cases of last season.
Among the methods employed in
snarIDg the fish is an unique contriv-
ance in the fashion of an undershot
wheel which scoops the unsuspecting
salmon as he swims. and, lifting him
into sort of fume slides him on to
the shore. This works well in narrow
channels, but is justly looked upon
with disfavor, for it is too indiscrimi-
nate and takes in everything that
comes along. We believe the fish
wheel at the Cascades is the only one
Of the kind on the Columbia river
We hope SO, anyhow.
The trap when fixed just right is a
neat device for pulling in the finny
tribe. A row of stats built somewhat
like fence and heading with the cur
rent gradually narrows to a point,
leads the unwary salmon along till he
gets to a pocket at this point, and as
he never thinks of turning around to
swim against the current he is bagged /;
with good station in the matter of
currents, the fish trap pays well; but
its too much of gamble to suit the
greater part of the fishermen.
Some salmon fishing is done with
seines; very little of that here, the
water being too deep. The seine is
generally from 800 to 400 feet long,
wide in the middle and narrow at the
ends; one end is held ON the shore,
and the seine, being carried out in a
boat is allowed to drop down the
river, when with a quick sweep the
river end is brought swiftly to the
shore, often resulting in a good haul.
But the method generally used, and
exclusively in vogue on the bar and
from there up the river for twenty
five miles is the gill net. This is gen
erallay made of the best twine, and
weigh from 125 to ITO pounds, cost
ing from 5000 to S400. The meshes
of the net are four and quarter in
ches square, OF eight and half inches
from mesh to mesh; SO that thirty
six mesh net would be twenty-five
deep, though most Of the nets do not
hang so deep as that. The tide and
the channel is as carefully studied by
the fishermen as by the river OR bar
pilots, and advantage taken of every
possible opportunity by men who
thoroughly understand just what they
are about. Each boat contains two,
sometimes three, men; starts out to
get "the head of the drift" and the
net is spread across the channel, the
upper side being kept perpendicular
by means of floats; great wooden
bobbins strung along the edge, while
the lower side has attached to it
leaden sinkers. The boat drifts down
with the tide, the net being kept
plumb, the captain now and then
drawing the net over the boat and
taking out the fish; unless in case of a
heavy run, when the fishermen are in
the same fix that Peter and the Apos-
ties were, in on the Sea Of Galllee
when they called upon all and sundry
for help, as the nets were breaking
with the great catch of fish. Few fish
under twelve pounds are caught, the
average being twenty-eight pounds
weight; the meshes of the net acting
like the meshes of the law. letting the
little fry slip through. A net is moi
reliable after being used one season,
and fishermen prefer to have a new
net as then they ''know just where
they are"
A great difference exists in the
quality of the salmon at different
points on the river; IN general thu
nearer the mouth the better the fish
when the salmon come IN first they
are hard and firm of flesh, all that are
caught here being of the finest quail
ty; further up the river they become
soft and flabby, and loso the distinc
tive favor that marks the true Colum
bia river salmon.
| Near the bar is considered to be tn,
best fishing ground, though fraugh
with danger to those who venture ou
too far The record of loss of life is
dismal one, over sixty men havin.
been lost last year