The Portland daily press., 1884-01-16
Snelt Fishing,
Am Array :of. .sportsmea Encamped ON the
e-AsviIIage Eof smolf' Fishes Fiyfne
Before the Gale.


"If any one likes fishing through sthe lee
with the thermometer 1O0 below zero and
the wind blowing sometimes at the rate of
twenty-five miles an hour he can find his ids-
al sport just now on any Of the rivers and In
let's along the coast of Maine," said 'Nort''
Scott, we'll known in angling circles in this
city, who returned on Saturday from q
weeks fishing for smelt on the Maine coast.
"Smelt-fshing is now at its best up there,
but the weather is about at Its worst. At
least, in the estimation Of the visiting sports
man it is; but those native and to the manor
born think it couldn't be better. They don't
seem to mind little matter such as the
mercury registering 15' below, and to see
their tents lifted from the ice by the wind
and carried upward like balloon Is regard
ed by them as only an episode that adds
zest and humor to their enjoyment. When
/ left there last Thursday 1t was so coldIthat
the holes in the ice froze over nearly as fast
as they were cut, even with fires in the
tents, and to keep them open required lit
tie more labor than even my enthusiasm In
the sport could well overbalance. But there
were scores Of fishermen on the ice when
left, for the fish seem to bite better the cold
er 1t is, and after this month the fishing gets
poorer, the fish moving gradually to other
quarters.
Smeltfshing through the ice," continued
the speaker, "does not differ much from the
same mode of angling for pickerel, but the
element Of uncertainty is unknown In the
ovf fab oil dau a.
times for pickerel, and then be obliged to
buy enough to save yourself from going
home 'skunked,' but when you cut yeur
holes in the ice and put in your lines for
smelt you are Just as certain Of being kept
busy pulling out fish as you are that you bait
your hook. A smelt isn't as big a fish as .
pickerel, but he's game fighter, and there
is an excitement about tending the lines
that pickerel fishing does not create. The
people up in Maine look upon smelt-fshing
as the sport of the year, and they come from
miles about the country to enjoy 1t. Even
the Indians from the far-back country tramp
to the coast during the season to exercise
their skill in Turing smelt. The tackle for
smelt-fshing is very simple. The line is an
ordinary stout linen cord, about four feet
long. To one end of this is attached piece
of lead about three inches long and the size
and shape of three-cornered file. Thists
called q file-sinker. To a swivel in the other
end of the slnker Is tied pink-colored smell
made OF common fsh-line, to which Is at
tached hook such as is used in fishing for
catfish. The smell is two feet long. The
water acting on the triangular sinker, hung
on its swivels, keeps it constantly tvirliu9
about, and the bait, which is an ugly-look-
ing insect called the clam worm. in ALWAYS
In motion. Each fisherman will have ont
an average OF four lines in as many differ
ent holes, If he seeks the endowment of the
sport under the protection and shelter of a
tent, or house, as the natives call them. II
he, like many of the local anglers, is bray-
ing the elements with the sole intention Of
extracting profit from the catch, and dances
and trots about on the ice regardless of ex-
traneeus aids to combat the wind and frost.
he is likely to have ten or dozen lines to
care for, spread over an area 100 feet around
and II the fish are biting good be will have
but little time to think OF the cold. m he
viii be kept busy hauling up his lines and
keeping the holes open.
IL mas only been within few years that
such thing as smelt fishing under shelter
was known. The fishermen had either to
stand out unproteeted%gainst the gales and
storms that seem to be kept son tam alone
the coast for use at any moment. or mil n1
their lines and go home. To be sure. thew
could pile up walls of ice and thatch theI
with pine boughs, but as it frequently Is nee
essary for the fisherman to change his loca-
ton, and the ice barricades could not veil
De taken along, the building of tham wan
time and labor thrown away. By the wny.
this is popularity of smelt fishing. The
hsh may be biting so that you will be kept
constantly hopping from one hole to anothsH
70 tiand your catch. Suddenly your tip
ups will cease to tip. The smelts have
taken 1t into their heads that the locality IA
not safe for them, and have moved. We'll.
In case OF this kind, as / said, the angler
would md his ice and pine boughs use
less, and he would have to desert them
to hunt up the spot to which the
fish had changed their base. But ons sas-
son man named Joe Secor went up from
Boston to try smelt fishing. He tried it for
q, DAY and froze one foot and both ears, and
Inen went away. But he didn't 90 home.
frame, ten feet square, made bv earpen-
ter. He procured some sail canvas and sov-
cred the frame with it, leaving an opening
for door. The frame was on runners,
When the house was finished he had II
drawn upon the ice and placed over the
holes he intended to fish through. Then it
occurred to him that he might add still fur
tner to his comfort, and he bought small
pox stove, ran pipe from out Of the house,
started roaring pine wood fire in It. and.
seated Sc on bench, fshed as comfortably 40
If he were in his room st the hotel watching
stove-pipe hole in the floor. The house
was secured to the ice by graphing irons.
II smelt ceased biting in one spot he simply
loosened his grapples, showed bis house
along on the runners, and 'squatted' In
more favorable quarters. No one who fishes
Tor smelt simply for the sport there is In 1t
mas gone on the ice since then without one
0. the houses. Many who make business
OF smeit nshing have adopted the plan, and
now, IN tne height OF the season, stranger
going Tor the first time to any Of the rivers
or inlets along the coast would Imagine That
small army was in camp there.
On good day for smet the averase
catch per line will be at least 100, or say,
thirty pounds. The fish net the business
angler about i've cents pound, and have q
ready sale in the local markets. On
wednesday of last week was having busy
time in my house. had only two holes in
use, for the. fish were biting so lively that I
couldn't take care OF any more. It was
showing lard and blowing harder, but my
nre was roaring inside, and was tOlerablv
comfortable. Suddenly, along came one Of
those zephyrs that love to play up and
down the Maine coast. It seemed to think
that was cutting things a little too fat
around there, and it stopped at my hut. got
leverage on my grapples, and the next In
slant hut, fisherman, stove and all were
moving off at lively speed. The front part
of the stoye-which was not much more
than toy stove, being only two and half
feet long-dropped into one of the holes Ia
the ice, and the whole business went down
among the smelt. We were scudded along
for hundred yards, when my house came
in contact with another fisherman's house.
This called sudden halt, and took ad-
vantage of it to crawl hastily out. The col
lision loosened the grapples on the other
house, and in moment both were flying
onward before the wind. The gale had
played the same game with other huts, and
they were flying along over the ice in all
parts of the inlet. The gale lasted for not
more than ten minutes, but whole smelt-
fishing village had been moved about mile
from its site when 1t ended. That little
episode convinced me that 1t would be more
pleasant for me to leave smelt fishing until
next May or June, and then resume 1t on q
convenient trout stream; so struck nv
tent and cut sticks for Belfast.
believe smelt fishing is becoming more
popular every year, and even the ladies are
manifesting willingness TO brave its risks
and sometimes its hardships. There was
party of three ladies and gentlemen. from
Boston camped on the ice when 1 came
away"