Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-09-08

four and half ounce split bamboo rod,
mounted with bands of German silver, q
reel to match containing the finest of fne
silk, carefully braided line, and casts
forth three dainty flies attached to leader
of Spanish gut, it is not strange that his
thoughts go back to the time when the In
dian orept along the same stream and
whipped out fine trout from the same
pool. A glance at his complete outfit of
modern make, fully in keeping with the
civilization of the day, leads to specula-
ton as to the tackle the original owner of
the hills and streams used in securing his
fish dinner.
The fact is that the Indian was a very
able angler. He did not do his fishing for
sport, but to gain food, and he did it well
Some idea of the primitive tackle and
methods of the early days of the country
can be gained from the Indians of the
northwest coast, who are slow to adopt
modern apparatus, and even now make
little substitution for the tackle of two
hundred years ago except in accepting iron
barbs for the early hooks of shell or bone
The Indians of the earlier period had to
do mostly with salt water fish, and de-
pending largely upon fish for food were
obliged to develop the piscatorial art and
set hooks and gain like number of fish
was a matter of common occurrence with
them. The size of the fish did not bother
them, and they safely landed immense
halibut weighing as much as one hundred
and fifty pounds.
Salmon were so common in various
parts of the coast rivers and streams that
fish trap was often used. Sometimes
they used spears at narrow passages in the
river.
OLD FASHIONED TACKLE.
In the Smithsonian Institution report
habits of the tribes along the coast all the
way to Alaska, and some statements are
made as to their fisheries. While not of
course, showing the evolution of modern
tackle which is the outgrowth of the pis-
catorial tendencies of the seacoast inhsbi-
tants of the old world, these statements
prove how efficient even bungling tackle
can be made. The Indians did not catch
mics in Africa do now. The Egyptians
did, if the pictures found in the historic
ruins are properly interpreted. Indeed,
it is thought that the Egyptians were very
successful anglers, and came pretty near
becoming fly casters.
The Indians of the northwest coast re-
tain their old tackle to this day. The big
hooks are traded other merchandise.
A primitive style of hook used by the
Hsida tribe of the northwest coast is q
straight piece of bone, the shank a straight
piece of wood, and the snood or smell q
piece of whalebone, the smell being at
tached to the shank by lashings of bark.
In another style a narrow block of wood
is used with spike of bone, shell OF iron,
and snood of spruce root or whalebone
In Alaska large halibut hooks are also
used.
At first these were barbed with bone,
but now they are with iron. They are
made in two pieces, each lashed at the
joint with cedar bark, the shsnks made in
different designs, supposed to give good
luck to the fishermen. Some are made
from the forked branches of trees, yew
and spruce being generally used. In the
wood is set the bone, shell or iron barb.
The bait is lashed to that arm of the hook
which carries the barb, and placed just
under it. These are very strong, and hall
but weighing as much as fifty pounds are
caught on them.
By steaming and bending tough piece
| of yew branch various shaped hooks are
made. One variety is twisted Just as
though the shank of long weakfish hook
were bent in an oval shape and brought
back SO as to leave a little space between
| the point of the barb and the long space
shank, and across it a strip of steel ii
placed upon which to tie piece of bait.
| The hook that is used in catching COO
and founders, constructed with the specia
| purpose of preventing fouling, is de
Il oarihad hxy Tn1oa r q Sr-on fo1Inrr-c.
"'They are made of knots of hemloek
| limbs cut out from old decayed logs
These are split in pieces of suitable size
| and whitfield to the required shape, and
bent by being steamed into the form
| which in the skill hook resembles the lon,
gitudinal section of goose egg. The
| lower portion of these hooks are turned
| inward to form barb, and when not in
use the two ends of the hook are fastened
| together by piece of twine, which is also
used to tie on the bait. The two parts OF
the hook are separated by means of a sticI
| or peg, which the fish knocks out when he
takes the bait, and the two ends of the
hook close together and hold him fast
| The peg floats to the surface and indicates
to the Indian that he has caught fish.
''The sinker is another ingenious contri
/ vance. 1t is large stone weighing from
twelve to fifteen pounds and a smaller one
| to serve as tripping stone. The line Ii
wound around these stones many turn.
and blight or loop tucked under one o.
the parts in the same manner. A sigma
officer rolls up flag in a ball and tucki
blight of halliard under turn which
when pulled out, sets the flag free. 81
when the Indian fisherman thinks from
the number of floating pegs that he hai
enough fish, he pulls out the loop of hi
line, the stones become loosened and fal
out, and he hauls in his line relieved o
the weights.
"The Haidas frequently put on one hun
dred hooks to line, which act like a trawl
and SO plentiful are the black cod that of
ten from fifty to seventy-five are hauled il
at one time. The bait used seems to b
cnything handy, as the skill is greed.
feeder and will take either fresh herring
squid or a strip of white skin from hall
butts belly. The Indian, however, has en-
emies to contend with, one of the mos
formidable being the groundfish, or nurse
fish, as the sailors call them, which vii
eat off the bodies of long line of fish
leaving only their heads. There is also
small sculpin variety which will steal tn
bait. Dogfish also are at times very trou
blesome. Whenever the Indian is sure O
the presence of these pests he goes to an
other place to fish,"