Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-02-08
WINTER FISHING.
HOW 1T is GARFIELD ON IN
FROZEN LAKES AND RIVERS
Tho Outfit Required nnd,tho WAY
OF Catching tho ish Described
Tho Indian Way Cut
ting Holes in tho iIcc.

The winter weather that scals up Lake
and creek so that the coy trout land sport
I've bass are sale from the wild Of fisher
men, provides another form If sport.
says David Wcchslcr, in tho BROOKLYN
Ct'',en. Although the deceptive ily
cannot be cast upon the water and the
guided spoon can no LONGER lbe trollcd
beneath It's surface to lure tho c.edulous
iish to lis doom, yet fishing through the
ice remains.
Many small lakes IN different sections
o. the country are we'll sto kcd with
pickercl, and these gamcy iishaFord en-
celsent sport They are huugry fish
always ready to btc, and once hooked
make stubborn fight before they sur
render. TIL. mclhUtl of thcir CAPTURE is
not difficult. Learned Originally from
the primitive dwcller by the laac shores
the duSky lndian-it has lccn i'm
proved upon by the arts of civilization
ana is now popular sport Though the
Eastern and Middle States. III has also
many followers in the West. The few
Indians remaining in Wisconsin and
Michigan still fish in their own way. and
earn II good living from the sale OF their
captures to white men who skin them to
milwaukee, and Chicago markets. They
cut hole of about eighteen inches in
diameter in the ice, and build 4 rough
house of boughS over the spot. The
house is INTENDED to make it dark nj the
opening i'll the ice. The Indian pro-
vidcs himself with n rough iron smear
and IL live minnow attached TO n strin,r
lie then lies lat OH the ice. The min
now attracts the larger fish, Int before
thcy eau close their Jaws on il, the smear
descends and The fish is captured. rho
lndians get only two and three cents n
pound Tor the fish, but they frcourntlv
make dollar day.
The paraphcrnalia of Il Summer nnnlcr
rods, reels. leaders, flies and NESTS
not required for the winter sport. Tho on
penSc OF an elaborate outfit is ACCORDINGLY
saved. and as The tincsse of The ANGLERS
art-ihc casting of the i,y-i> not EN-
ploycd, those who are not cypcr,s can
en- oy the sport. The apparatus ncccs.
sary consists of about forty short linz.
provided with strong hooks and MI
thched 10 reel made out of niece of
wood. Then tip.up is required for
every line that is 10 be set This is thr
contrivancc that signals the fisherman
When fish is caught.
mere are dozens of ways Of maxine
tip ups. Every Old fisherman thinks he
KNOWS little more about hem thnn
anyone else, and will take grca. pain, Io
INFORM every novice JUS; how the Tie uns
should be made. One nf the oldcs, and
most popular methods is To place n round
stick Hat "n the ice and so that it reaches
across the hole. Then cut Il stick with
crotch in it. One limb of the crotch
should DC sin inches long and the other
twelve inches long. Attach the line TO
me longer one, and place the shorter so
tilat 1t will lit over he cross stick with
lis butt resting on the jco and having n
red rug tied 10 it tn serve ns, far. When
there is bite The flag goes ~, and no
titles the fisherman.
Another device is made out of n half
inch pine board. a piece eighteen inches
long ana tapering from three inchc,
widc ut one end to one inch wade ut the
o'hcr Is cut out. A ihree-Gmrtcr inch
holc IS bored in the piece OF wood about
clSht inches from the small cad, n small
SLICK IS passed through the oieninp MS it
Is placed across the hole in The ice. The
Dnit IS then attached TO the smn end.
pic Ups up the larger end. which may
DC painted red, so thar it will the
more readily attract the eye Of the fish
crihan. a good way to tell when the
mlhnow IS on the hook and alive. il TO
attach cork or small piece of wood
10 inc Inc where it enters Tho water.
Inc minnow will keep this bobbinr
around the water as long MS he is ali
right, but if hungry pickercl carries
him oil the cork will not move.
Fishing parties are made up in neqrly
all OF the towns and smaller cities that
are III the vicinity of any lakes in which
p.ckeiel or rock bass abound. If the
distance from the lake Is more than n few
miles, The party starts one day in ad-
vance and puts up ut some convenient
hosielry. The fishing is not attempted
until ice four or five inches thick has
formed. as an involuntary bath on n cold
day Is not included in the sport. A still
day. whether it is clear or cloudy. is
preferable to windy one.
Operations at the lake are commenced
Mt daylight. The party are warmly clad.
Strong leather boots, a heavy suit of
wool goods fur cap and n pea Jacket
make good rig. A fire of dead branches
and old rails is built ut n convenient
place on the shore. and one of the party
left in charge. The Others take axes
and proceed to the ice. Cutting the
holes is no easy task, especially if the ice
is very thic.,
Unless some member of the pa, ty is
familiar with the haunts of the fish in
the lake selected, Il local fisherman is
employed to act as guide. The best
places usually lie from fifty to hundred
yards from shore, and where the dcpth
of The water ranges from ten to twenty
feet. The mouths of small cove, and
positions opposite the outlets of creeks
are good fishing grounds.
The holes in the ice are cut in n
straight line parallel with the shore, if
the shore j. regular. or ross the bays
and coves, if the shore is irregular. A
long row of hoes in single lirc, or two
or three shorter rows side BIZ side arc cut
according to the locality, and to the
gradual or rapid increase in depth of the
water. The holes are square, and from
ten inches to one foot across. The dis
lance apart should not be less than iif-
teen feet and twenty feet is better. One
man can attend to from thirty to forty
holes, unless the fish are very numerous
ur1 hupuru fbnn ba ,,,:Ii