Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-07-19
TOlERS OF THE RIVER.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INLAND
RIVER FISHERMEN.

w nen G1e SHOWS nave melted OIL the
mountains and the waters have become
warmer; when the buds of the red
stemmed water naples that line the
banks OF the rivers, and streams begin
to swell; and when the warming influ-
ence of the sun draws out the frost"
from the bluff sides, and the first spring
land slips occur; then the river fishermen
take up their work.
They are not pushing, rushing, hur-
rying set Of men-these fishermen; they
are rather on the Waltonian or reflective
style; they can drive a bargain as close
as any one, but their sad lack of indus
try keeps them poor. But jollier, more
life enjoying people never lived. / call
them people; they are distinct class
OF men from their neighbors, even those
OF like social" standing. In the winter
they subsist on the little, the pitifully
little provender laid by during the busy
summer season, by basket making and
chair bottoming. Some of them occupy
themselves during the winter months in
kind of desultory professional hunt
ing. Rabbits, squirrels, quails, turtle
doves, field larks, ducks, geese, water
chickens, coots, robins, sparrows and
variety of small birds, which, if known
by their right name, would not be
touched, but, served up fctitiou-ly, are
rellshed exceedingly, are the victims of
these conscienceless hunters.
HOOKING AND NETTING.
But the principal occupation of this
class of men is, as have said before,
fishing. They use what is called ''trot
line" and as most people are unfamiliar
with such method of fishing will ex-
plain. 1t consists of long tar enameled
cotton cord, about a quarter of an inch
in thickness, and it reaches across, or
nearly across, the river. Dangling from
1t, at a distance of a yard or SO apart,
are short linen lines or linking. These
are supplied with one or more hooks.
each OF varying sizes. One fisherman
generally has four or five such lines, and
with dip net and catch net his outfit is
complete. The dip net is fine meshed
cortrivance, with frame shaped like
the letter D, the part of the frame CORE
spending to the perpendicular stroke in
the letter resting on the ground. The
net is showed up the mouths of springs,
creeks, branches, etc., and is designed to
take in all crawfish, minnows and other
unfortunate small fry which unluckily
fall in the way. The catch net is an in
strument, with the use Of which nearly
every one is familiar.
The best and favorite bait is small,
tender crawish, or "craws," as they are
called. These the giant red horse, the
red tinged sun perch, the mud cats, the
toundering buffalo and their kindred of
the finny tribe take with avidity. An
other reason for the popular use of this
article for bait is the fact that it cannot
be nibbled off by the sundry minnows,
charles and molly hogs that always in
fest baited grounds Tad poles, bull
frogs, molly hogs, rot CUTS, grubs, grass
hoppers and eel meat all make very
tempting bait.
Some fish, as for instance the buffalo
and the red horse, require a special line
and special hook The buffalo line is
short and very strong, and is provided
with specially made buffalo hooks. The
u,
hence it needs very slender hook. The
fishermen, as rule, are very expert in
their profession.
The hunter and trapper make wood
craft a fine art. They have the habits
and peculiarities of the river designers.
They know the singular traits Of the
black perch; have watched and studied
the drum In all characteristic doings.
They listen, perhaps, with pleasurable
emotion to his weird yet realistic drum
ming under the gliding keel of the
yawl. They are naturalists in a true
sense Of the word
FRESH WATER PEARLS.
People who have dealings with coun-
ry storekeepers may have noticed q
statement on their letter heads, to the
effect that they buy and sell fresh water
pearls. The river fishermen are the men
that collect this new article of COM
merce. In some counties in the ''back
country" statistics show that the pearl
ing industry has done more to enrich
certain counties than any other COM
merce.
the desired quality and then begin the
work of opening mussels. The most
favorable localities are generally in the
neighborhood of fine sand and shallow
water. The pearl is formed, according
to the discovery of the river naturalists,
by fine sand, working in between the
glands of the mussel's biceps which pro-
,7ucea a Sacrntion that ,,ltiDoatal1 rac,,l+,
in pearl. A perfect pearl is smooth,
Opaque and hard. Their value depends
upon their clearness and ''grain.
The fisherman himself, however, is
more worthy our attention. His optim-
ism is ever topmost; his good nature and
jollity are characteristic. Times may be |
hard with the bricklayer, the carpenter,
and the farmer, and the markets are
always open for fish, and when an I'M
seasonable time comes, he knows of its
coming, and can, if he wish, prepare
for it.
Sometimes you will find a fisherman
who is not Ger honest, who merits, per-
haps, the old couplet:
Fish'man dance, and fsh'man sing,
ALI fsh'man steal mos any little thing
And such are not rare exception either.
But they stick to their professions with
persistency that is not easily under
stood, and their wives and children are,
as rule, well cared for.-Beverly Ed
ward Cummings in Atlanta Sunny South.
Baldneas-
As our readers are already aware from