Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-09-07
Fish From the Great Lakes.

This city is one of the most import
ant lake Misunderstanding markets on the
entire chain of the great lakes. A very
small portion of the whitefsh, lake
trout, yellow pike and bass that are
daily sent to the Eastern cities from
here, however, is taken from nearby
waters. Nearly all of the fish that are
shipped East in the winter time are
caught during the previous fall. They
are drought from Lakes Superior,
Michigan and Huron, the smaller sup
ply coming from Lakes Erie and Onta-
rio. They are transported in refrigerat-
or-cars and stored for the winter trade,
the demand for lake fish having in
creased so of late years that it is impos-
sible for winter fishing to supply it.
Lake Superior is consideSed the best
of the lakes for fish. Its water is more
like that of springs than any of the 9TH
ers. Whitefish and lake trout taken
from Superior command better prices
than the same fish taken from any other
lake. They like deep water, and are
frequently taken from depth of 800
feet. They are worth 1920 ton, and
are taken principally in gill nets. On
the Sault Ste. Marie the Indians have
novel method of catching whitefsh.
Two Indians go with canoe into the
rapids. One occupies the bow and one
the stern. The latter uses a paddle to
keep the boats head up stream. The
former has pole with which to steady
the boat, standing upright in his place.
They take with them dip-net four feet
IN diameter, attached to a pole or handle
fiftSen feet long. This is placed ready
to the hand of the Indian in the bow.
The fishing is done at the foot of the
rapids, where the water boils and tum-
bles furiously. With his pole the Indian
In the bow holds the canoe or lets ii
float steadily sidewise, now up little,
perhaps, and then down, but always
under perfect control. The Indian
gazes constantly into. the water, which
is often ten feet deep where they
are fishing, and the depths of which no
white man was ever yet able TO school
his eye to penetrate. Suddenly he
seizes the net by the handle with one
hand, still manipulating the boat with
the other, and plunges the net into the
water, perhaps ten feet away, thrustino
it, to the bottom. Then he gives it a
peculiar twist, draws it up, and turns
Oub lhlO IuC DOdI UlanN as nalI
n dozen whitefish. weighing from three
to five pounds. These Indian fisher
men are unerring in casting their nets,
and it is not an uncommon thing for
them to capture three hundred white
fish in day. How they are able to see
the fish in the bottom of the rapids is
mystery no one has yet been able to
fathom.
The fishermen on the great lakes, es-
pecially in Lake Superior, follow peril
Gus calling, and many lose their lives
in the violent storms that sweep sud-
denly over the lakes. Formerly it was
necessary for the fishermen to salt down
their catches, but since the introduction
of refrigerator cars that is unnecessary.
Yellow pike come chiefly from Lakes
Huron and Ontario; blue pike and black
bass from Lake Erie. Blue pike are
not found in any other lake, except very
rarely in Ontario. The best bullheads
are caught in Ontario, although Erie
supplies good quality of bullheads.-
Buffalo Cor. NJ 7. Sun.