Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-01-29
FISHING IN THE ARCTIC.
When the Fish Are Pulled Out They
Instantly Freeze Solid.

Wherever there is level field of this
seasons ice, inclosed by lines OF hum
mocks, the fish are sure to he plenty.
such held as this, about half mile
long, practically afforded living to most
OF the people In the village during the
season of 1888, because that year the ice
was very unfavorable for sealing. and
food was very scarce in the village.
writes 4 correspondent of Forest and
Stream.
The fishing is carried on mostly by the
women and children, though one or
two old men generally go out, aud one
or TWO OF the younger men, when they
cannot go sealing and food is wanted at
the house, will join the fishing party.
Each fisherman is provided with a
long-handlcd ice pick, which he fire.
quently leaves sticking in the snow near
the fishing ground, long line made of
strips OF whalebone, reeled lengthwise on
slender wooden shuttle about 1S inches
long, and provided with n copper sinker
and two pear shaped ''jigs" of walrus
ivory, armed with four barbless hooks of
COPPER, and scoop or dipper made of
about two feet long. Hardly an Esqui-
maux, and especially no Esquimaux boy,
strs out OF the house in the winter
without one of these SC oops in his hand
To every party of two or three there will
also be good sized bag of sealskin,
generally made of piece of an old kayak
cover, for bringing home the fish. Ar
rving at the fishing ground, each pro-
ceeds to pick a hole through the ice,
which is about four feet thick, clearing
out the chips with the scoop. The
Gigs" arc then let down through the
hole, and enough line unreeled to keep
them just clear of the bottom, where the
fish are playing about. The reel is held
in the right hand and serves as a short
rod, while the scoop is held in the left
hand and used to keep the hole clear of
the scum of new ice, which, of course,
is constantly forming The line is kept
in constant motion, jerked up quickly a
short distance and then allowed to drop
back, so that the little fish that are nos
ing about the white Gigs after the
manner of Goldfish, are hooked ABOUT the
jaw or In the belly.
AS soon as fisherman feels fish on
his hook he catches up blight of the
line with his scoop and another below
| tnlS WlIn MS reel, anu tnus reefs up tne
line on these two sticks in loose coils until
the fish is brought to the surface, when
n skillful toss throws him off the barbess
hook on the ice, where he gives one con
vulsive flap and instantly freezes solid.
The elastic whalebone line is thrown off
the sticks without tangling and paid out
through the hole again for another trial.
If fish are not found plenty at the first
hole, the fisherman shifts his ground un-
til he "strikes school," They are
sometimes so plenty that they may be
hauled up. One woman will bring in
upwards of bushel of little fish-they
are generally about five or six inches
long-from single days fishing This
fishing lasts until the middle of May,
when the ice begins to soften. A good
many are also caught along the shores in
November in about foot of water, when
there are no tide cracks in the ice. At
this season the Esquimaux use little
rod about two feet long, with short line
and little ivory squid, at which the
| fish bite