The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-07

IL mysteries. ana mas
" TO sit at the feet of
his country friends, asa student. while its
method and attractions are made clear to
him.
When Jack Frost lays his icy fingers on
the pools and shadows. netting the brown,
tang ell grasses, and stiffening them into a
sparkling fringe OF ice-tipped spears. laying
the ice smooth on the surface of the water,
while below. out of sight. the under surface
is frozen into curious caves, hills and
mounds turned upside down, and all the
varied. fanciful shapes and forms known
only TO the fish that hold high revei among
them--then is the time that the dweller by
the pools and shadows gets his lines and
hooks into working order, cuts his
''tip-ups," and makes ali his prepara-
lions for the sport as he sits by the
tire at night. The city dweller who has
once experienced days fishing through
the ice. rejoices also in anticipation as he
thinks of the glorious times in store for
him, and he too. arranges his tackle and
goes mentally and carefully through the
list of country friends who live within a
reasonable distance OF q well-stocked
stream, creek or lake. The city visitor, if
sportsman, is generally more than well
come at such season, and ii the weather
conditions are favorable his friends will see
TO it that he does not lack for opportunity
to thoroughly enjoy himself.
The practice OF fishing through the ice is
very Old one, ard undoubtedly descended
TO US from the Indians. who in turn had
probably obtained their knowledge of the
art from the Alaskans, the practice being
general, with a distinction of methods,
among all northern races. One OF tue most
famous pictures in the French salon the
year before last was group by Kornelia
Paman, copied from some mural or cave
painting which dated lar beyond the men,
DRY of man. 1t represented q church
woman of Pitlekaj fishing for winter roach
near the shore. With her is a man, armed
with an iron-shod lance. with which he
cuts hole in the ice. near the shore, where
these fish are found. A new hole is fre-
quentiy cut. A sieve of bone and strips
OF whaiebone is used to keep the hole free
from ice, and the woman, STOPPING down.
attracts tue fish by a peculiar. clattering
cry. As soon as fish is seen, and not be-
fore, line made of dried entrails, having
a hook OF copper or bone, baited with fish
entrails, is dropped down, and the hungry
fish is caught.
Such was the early fishing through the
ice, and while We have discarded the idea
of attracting the fish by means of sounds
or cries, the method employed remains in
trinsically the same.
Tue modern outfit is simple, but some
little judgment AID knowledge in choosing
the items are required to avoid annoy ance
and disappointment. In buying a line get
woven one of good quality. the cheaper
ones, slightly though they may be, are al
most certain 10 "kink," and so get tangled
and caught in the rough edges or under
surface of the ice just as a good fish
Is hooked, and every fisherman
knows that it is always the best
fishes that slip off the hook ut the critical
moment. A cheap line, too, soon frays
out with chatting on the edge OF the hole.
and so is Liable TO break at any moment,
generally just the wrong one A good
price should also be paid for hooks, and.
although opinions 10 the contrary have
been expressed, fine gut should be used 10
lash them. Sucn hooks as are not IN use
should be kept in the POCKET, for the cold
acting On the exposed steel chills the gut
on the shank, and makes it snap at the
first cross pull.
The next thing to select is the bait can.
his should De an unusually large one, for
TWO reasons-one, that the greater the bulk
OF wafer the warmer 1t Can be kept and
consequently will not so readily freeze
solid, and the other that large can will
come IN very HANDY for carrying Tip
ups" etc, when Dig string OF
nsh occupies all the spare hands a
fisherman mas. Every one has right to
his own ideas, and have been laughed at
few times for having thick treble bian ket
OF flannel wrapped ABOUT my bait-can. The
laugh. however, has general been on INV
side before the day vas over, for all the
i've bait was pretty sure TO be in nv can.
anu my associates had TO beg some of it or
catch some fresh bait, which Is not ALWAYS
convenient Do not, though, 40 as one
man did when | explained this to him. He
thought he could improve on the plan. and
Catching his hsh out OF cold water nut
them in can flied with warm water and
killed them IN a lew mint tes. The blanket
/. Is simply use0 to keep the water taken
from The river from lowering its tenn pera-
ture a ter exposure on four sides, top and
bottom, TO an atmosphere much colder
than Is the water under the ice. O.d.time
a
yation, out Ii has more than once even
proven an excellent idea
Plckere are about the best fish to be
ea-hy located by the majority of fisher
men, as they abound IN most lakes and
aiong the shadows OF most rivers. With
their shark-llke voracity they readily hook
themselves too firmly 10 easily get loose
ana so are landed without much trouble
In various sections, however, are caught
giant perch. pike. sand-pike, silver white
nsn, giant sun-fsa. bass. muscalonge. cat
hsn, sturgeon, eeis and builheads. Hay-
ing located the place TO fish get up soon
after daybreak and put on the warmest
clothes you have, taxing care 10 have
flannel next the skin. / frequently put on
TWO entire suits OF Clothes. You will prob
aoly ind this good plan, Tor long stand
ing viii chill you, and any stamping about
on the ice in an endeayor 10 keep warm
viii scare away ali the FISH that are not ice
bound, just as the knock OF pole on a rock
eottom when spesring fish is disastrous.
The best way 10 get the necessary min
nows or sinners for bait is 10 fad, Il posi-
ole. place where sewage or drainage runs
into the river or lake. At these places the