The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-05-21
Fishing On the Columbia.


snd sometimes are lucky TO get away
with life, let alone pulling and haul
ing at heavy net all night for moth
ing"
It il hard work, and the little CLEAN
Of go6d luck that sometimes occurs
when a good haul is made, hardly
makes up for the hours and days of
patient work and watching without |
any reward. In this immediate Vi /,
cinity the fishermen start down to the |
bar III the afternoon and spread their
nets to float with the tide, the top |
supported by corls. the bottom
weighted down with disks Of lead.
When al goes well the net drifts
along slowly with tho tide. and the
moment the salmon gets his nose in
side and pushes ahead he is caught.
If he is wary, aud not in tho big a
hurry he feels the cord, and darts
back, often dropping under and eYad-
ing ali the arts Of the fisher; but gen
orally the fsh are eager by natures
instructive impulse to reach the lar off
waters where they can spawn, and
rush headlong to destruction. The
fishermen can tell by the corks whore
the captives are struggling, and he
hauls in that part only. Occasionally,
a great school of freshly rnn salmon,
eager TO get up to the clear water and
pebbly bottom Of the upper stream,
rush maaly against the whole length
OF the net, and then the captain
and bUat-puller are in the same tx
that Peter and the Apostles were in,
on the Sea OF Galilee, when they call
ed to their comrades to help them or
their nets would break. Ia dull times,
when salmon are scarce, and sleep
hangs heavily on tho weary Watchers
eyes. the fisherman has his patience
| sorely tried by the seals, who will
watch = net rs carefully rs does him
self, and rob it before his eyes. This
marine epicure has IN especial weak
ness for the jowl Of she salmon, and,
unless he be very hungry, he will only
take 4 bite Of that portion. Having
taken one mouthful Of it, he tosses
it aside and seizas another. and in this
way vii! destroy twenty-five salmon
before the fisherman can get at him.
| This wily phocaeean Is = foe to all the
fnny tribe; and countless fathcms
down he sinks 80 creep mid all the
nameless shapes that haunt he deep,
but rises TO make n rush, more par
ticularly at the delicate salmon.
| ISometimes retributive justice ever
takes the robber, and the fisherman,
hauling in his snare, finds the dark
corpse OF his enemy rolled up III the
net. The ponderous and stupid stuf-
geon IS another pest to the patien.
fisherman. Nodding III his boat, Eo
sees the corks go whizzing under the
water, and with great labor drags up
the miles of twine and pounds of lead
only to find a worthless monster that
6 has to be cut loose. In the salmon
season, sturgeon ou the Columbi;
are not considered worth the trouble
/, of towing ashore.
Few fishermen are making any
money this season, the light run S,
far seriously interfering with thei
calculations. Two years aga the sam'
state of afftirs oxistad, hut about tn
middle OF July the salmon cane ~ il
prodigious numbers. Oae cast Of
net brought up 200 fish, rangin.
" from fifteen 10 sixty pounds and sat
= ticient 10 load seven bpsta 10 the gun
" vale. II was nothing unusual t
throw back great numbers Of fish int
the stream and let them 90 on thei
headiong way to the water course
above, That year was also memorabl
e for the great loss Of life. Daring tn
y season Of abundance few lives wer
e lost. az there was no necessity to tax
T. any risks. Fish could be found in al
% parts OF the stream. 4 few weeks {
d warm weather sent the SHOWS into til
l. upper Columbia and the great rive
< rushed to the ocean, swollen and tuI
bulent. Great tracts were inundate
and the tide affected. The latter di:
turbance Of nature WAS fatal to man
q poor fellow. The fishermen waite
= the tides carefully, for at slack wat.
the fish are easiest caught. Leavir
= their stations at the ebb tide they sho'
out their seines and drift down to fioi
;. : back ca the food. 1t is an impor
ant matter with them to kaow exact
when the tide shall tnrn. The be
fishing ground ls close to the bav. al
they want to venture no further.
7, the season Of 80, OF which we spea
the tide table was not to be reli,
so upon. The great body Of wat
he thrown by the Columbia into the ocei
rs. a.. A. 81.