Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-09-06
CrayfShinr in Hnrla7l.

4 mile or two beyond the yiliare *
| the meadow to which we are GOING. It
| should be one in which the brook
| lengthens itself out bv n multitude
of windings, 4 thing which the brooks
hereabouts are not averse to doino. Ar
rived here some of the party prepare
the nets while the others light fire;
for crayfishing, though it may begin as
early as 5, will last till dark. and some
thing in the nature OF a picnic is often
associated with it. The nets are round
and flat, rather shorter than dinner
plates; each is formed by ring of iron
rod, on which is stretched piece of
string-net. The bait, which may be
raw meat of any kind, is tied to the cen
ter of this net. From the marginal
ring there are three small cords. so
placed as to mold it level, like a scale.
when it is lifted by the knot which Joins
them; and from this knot there is a
single cord ten or twelve yards LONG.
according to the width of the brook.
The only other requisites are a light
pole, fOrked at one end, and 4 quantity
of white paper. One Of the party car-
ries the nets, and another, taking the
pole, puts them in. The string is pass
ed over the fork, and the lower part Of
it held in the hand so that the net
swings level from the pole; then, when
a suitable place in the brook has been
found for it, it is quietly lowered so as
to have fiat bed on the gravel at the
bottom. Two or three yards OF each
string stretch out onto the grass, and
q large piece of white paper is attached
to the end, so that all the nets may be
readily found in the dusk. Altogether
there may be forty or fifty of them, at
short distances apart. These will take
up nearly half q mile of the brook; and
when the last has been put in you walk
back to the fire, and soon after begin
taking up the nets for examination.
Herein lies the advantage of selecting
a winding part of the stream. The more
it winds, the shorter in proportion is the
walk back across the grass from the last
let to the first one; and this walk has to
be taken q great many times over in the
course of the evening. The only art re-
CURED in crayfishing is to lift the nets
quietly and without jerk, holding the
string and catching it in the forlled end
Of the pole. At first about or 6 clock,
most of the nets may have one, and
some two, crayfsh on them. For
couple of hours after only q few are
caught, and it is not till shortly after
sunset that they come out in large num-
bers to feed. 1t is only when the twi-
light is growing feeble that the great
success of the evening arrives; and as
you swing the nets over onto the grass
you hear by the rattle of armor what
captures YOU have made. If the brook
has not been overfished six or eight
crayfish may often be pulled up at this
time on one net. 1t is too dark to see
them or to pick them up by their bodies
in the way that caution suggests. 1t is
only necessary, however, to touch them
on the grass, and they will make such
use of their claws that YOU are in no
danger of losing them. They are not
strong enough to cause much pain, and
it is cheering to remember that tine
harder the pinch the larger, in all
probability, is the crayfi5h.-St. james
Gazette.