Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-05-05
Old Times.

EN. HcytSteT--LdSJ nl1nL L wa
reading the Anaerican Agricuiturist
and as | read on / came to a picture
a winter scene-a man fishing through
the ice. He had a shed made of boards
and on the ice under the shed he ha(
cut a long hole through the ice. A
each end of the hole he had set a forket
stick about four feet high, and in those
| forks laid pole reaching from end t
end of the hole. To this pole he haG
about a dozen hooks and lines hanging
down in the water. AS fast as a fish
would bite, he would take them off, re
bait his hook and drop it back for an.
other fish. The picture made hin
look as though he was kept pretty
busy.
In my old home country there were
lakes up in the mountains that Were
well stocked with pickerel and trout.
| have seen parties on their way home
from fishing, with great strings of pick
erel lying in the bottoms of their
sleighs. Some of these fish would
measure two feet long. 1t was great
sport, and a great many put in a good
deal of time at it. In our town there
was a small river that ran winding
down through the flats, called Skontic.
It was one of the best fishing streams
in all that part of the country. 1t was
full of fish, summer and winter. AS
the stream swayed from side to side,
for it was awfully crooked, at each
turn it made there would be deep
hole of water. In these deep places
the fish would congregate in great
schoOls-busheIs and bushels of them.
In other places the river would make a
long stretch Of deep, smooth water deep
all the way across.
I remember one cold day in the win
ter, when everything was covered with
snow aud ice, the streams were frozen
over smooth and solid. A neighbor
came to our house and told father he
had been over to SkOntic, and one Of
those long holes of water was full of
great big suckers and trout, and lot
of the adjoining neighbOrs were going
tomorrow to catch those fish. They
were going to get Mr.. kible'S wide
seine and We're going to cut a hole in
the ice clear across the stream about
six feet wide. Then they were going
to let the seine down on the lower side
of the hole and let it hang like "a cur
tain. On the lower or lead line they
had tied big cords, every few feet. As
part of the men stood on the lower side
to keep the top line in place, the other
part stood all along on the upper side
Of the hole holding those lines that
were fastened to the bottom line. At
Ter everything was fixed to their notion |
Ill the boys and spare men went way |
up to the upper end of the hole and |
spread themselves out across the ice |
and commenced pounding and stamp |
ng along. Now, in the winter, when |
t is very cold, fish will get in great |
schools or hocks, and you can drive
hem before you just as good as flock
of sheep, if you go slow and drive care
ulIy. | have driven great schools in
1tout's Creek in the early days. They
move along like a great cloud, all in q
compact mass. As those men and boys |
,ame driving slowly along, you could
zee through the Gear ice every
All. here they come!
md such mass, On and on they
:ame, until the mass struck the net,
which had swayed way back by the
.ctiOn of the current. As soon as they /
we're at the net, those men on the up
,er side, at a given signal, hauled up
he lower line, and as it came to the top
# the water, every fellow caught hold
# the two lines-and such a sight!
he net was loaded full of fish-bush-
Is and bushels. As they pulled it out
n top of the ice, such futtering |
ever saw before. / shall never forget
hat. | was a little bit of fellow, not
auch higher than hop toad; when |
anne to the edge of the ice as the men
7ere lifting the net and fish out, my
eet slipped and | would have gone
ssouse.' in with the fish, had not man
aught me and given me a shove back.
tell you | did not go close to the water
fter that.
! remember they made two or three
auls with the net, and caught a good
1any bushels of fine fish. That was
he first time / ever went to such a
shing. /;
In all that country after the brooks /
anne down out of the mountains, and
ad reached the valley, the current :
ras slow and went winding down
trough the meadows for miles before
hey emptied into the Connecticut river
The fall before we came west, [ was
ne day walking along the banks of