The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-25
TOILERS OF THE RIVER,
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INLAND
RIVER FISHERMEN.

Habits Of . People That Enjoy Life I'm
and Out Of Season-Somethine About
the Methods of Catching Red Horse,
Mud Cats and BufIaloes.
When the SHOWS have melted off 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 infir,.
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.
rylng set OF men-these fishermen; they
are rather on the Waltonian or reflective
style; they can drive bargain as close
as any one, but their sad lack of indus.
try keeps them poor. But a jollier, more
life enjoying people never lived. call
them people; they are a 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
a kind OF desultory professional hunt
ing. Rabbits, squirrels, quails, turtle
doves, field larks, ducks, geese, water
chickens, coots, robins, sparrows and a
variety of small birds, which, if known
by their right name, would not be
touched, but, served up fictitiou-,y, are
relished 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 l will ex-
plain. 1t consists of long tar enameled
cotton cord, about quarter of an inch
in thickness, and it reaches across, or
nearly across, the river. Dangling from
it, at distance of 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 crawish, 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 crawfish, or "craws," as they are
called. These the giant red horse, the
red tinged sun perch, the mud cats, the
foundering 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
red horse always swallows the bait, and
hence it needs very slender hook. The
fishermen, as a 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.
~ 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 fishermen choose a mussel bed OF
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 mussels biceps which pro-
duces secretion that ultimately results
in pearl A perfect pearl is smooth
Opaque and hard. Their value depends
upon their clearness and "grain-"
The fisherman himself, however, il
more worthy our attention. His optim-
ism is ever topmost; his good nature and
iollity 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 un-
seasonable time comes, he knows Of its
coming, and can, if he wish, prepare
for it.
Sometimes you will find fisherman
who is not DER honest, who merits, per.
haps, the old couplet:
Fish,man dance, and fsh'man sing,
An fish man steal mos any little thing.
And such are not rare exception either.
But they stick to their professions with
a 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