The herald., 1893-09-09
DECOYING FISH.
6kiLLFuL INDIANS OF THE NORTH
HAVE QUEER METHODS.

Over tho Hole and Let Down n Decoy
Through the Pooling Innocent Crea-
lures of tho Deep Lakes.
"You have heard of shooting game by
means of decoy birds often enough no
doubt" said an old sportman the other
day, "but l doubt If you ever heard Of
fishing by means Of decoy fish, where
the decoy was not used for bait. ] never
saw it donc myself till visited Geor-
gian bay, part of Lake Huron, In Can
ada. one winter. There found that the
half breed Indians erected huts on the
frozen bay and fsned through holes cut
in the ice by means Of a queer decoy.
"In order to facilitate matters, some OF
them had little stoves in their huts tc
keep them warm while they fished. The
huts had only one opening, a door, and
when the fisherman had entered and
closed the door no light entered the hut
except what came up through the floor,
reflected through the ice outside and the
water underneath it. This made it pos
sible for the fisherman to see deep down
into the water and difficult for fish to
see him in his dark hut. The fisherman
has o chair or bench to sit upon, food
and drink to keep life in him during his
long watch and little stove to prevent
chill. Now comes the decoy business.
'The half breed takes out of his kit
queer looking stick, painted and shaped
roughly to look like fish, he AYERS,
though it would hardly be breaking the
second commandment to worship it, for
it is the likeness Of nothing in the heav-
ems above, or on the earth beneath, on in
the water under the earth: but If the fish
think it is the main object is accom-
plished. This wooden counterfeit of
fish is loaded with lead, so that it sinks
and lies in the water the right way when
suspended from the middle Of the back
by o string attached to q short fishing
pole. The Indian let's this decoy down
into the water and by means of the string
gives it o series of short, sharp jerks,
which make it dart hither and thither
in a remarkably lifelike manner, al
though, of course, its range is exceeding
ly limited, about yard in any direction.
"Tho thing is provided with tin fins
and tail and is weighted with lead most
heavily at the head. The string is at
tached nearer the head than the tail,
upon the bcck. and the skill with which
.aeae fishermen make the queer thing
loot ABOUT in triangle under their
~, through O hole in the ice, is truly
f; ''rt-Sab.c. did not succeed in ac-
','..ag tae art myself. l should say
a =, i',.; 1t that it is rather more diff
20 lsr.4n than Fly casting.
r'ra.ly fsw fish. noticing this
yGsv.jl.c about as if in active pur.
q his :cod. ewim that way to see if
ro something there for them
's 'ihsy may Dc fresh water herring,
Nv H. ts,on;. whf.eiisli or less valuable
,rna: nar loi, % them. big or little, is
r,iu: c.! by tie half breed. Fine fish he
fe,is: TIE coarse cues ne or his dogs or his
children or MS sGnsw eat readily.
Pulling mp his decoy, the fisherman
let's down a bciteI nook and tries his
luck on the hawconlers. seldom in vain.
These men tisii with all sorts Of queer
bait. ! saw one man make a splendid
haul one day, using for bait only big
white bono button without any hook.
The fish swallowed it greedily, and he
would jerk them out of the water before
they could get it out Of their throats. BY
and by a pike or dogfsh, seeing the
shoal Of fish around the pole, darts after
them. They scatter in hurry, and the
fisherman let's down his decoy again to
attract the pike.
"Now all the skill at his command
must be employed to make the decoy
work well, for if it lags in the water
long enough for the pike to suspect its
genuineness he will turn away in dis
gust. If the decoy deceives the willy
pike he dashes at it, and the fisherman
jerks it away before the pike can grab it
in his strong jaws. The pike turns to
pursue, and as he halts to turn the fisher
man drives at him with long forked
spear. If his aim is accurate, the pike is
transfxed and is brought bleeding to the
surface in jiffy.
"These men are skilled hunters and
know many curious habits of the crea-
tuIcS tucy puiouos lucy ndy tuHb muSK-
rats, for instance, are able to swim long
distances under the ico in this manner:
Taking long breath, the muskrat dives
from his pursuer and swims as far as he
can. When he can go no longer without
a fresh breath, he comes up under the
ice, and pressing his nose against it
breathes out all the air in his lungs.
This forms big bubble under the ice,
and the Indians say that the ice has the
power of making that bubbleof air fresh
again, oxygenizes it in fact, and that the
little fellow then breathes it in again and
dives once more. This he can do half
dozen times. the Indians say, before the
air he took with him becomes SO foul
that the ice cannot freshen it again.
Whether this property Of the ice is
true or not cannot say, but the Indians
firmly believe it, and know that musk
rats can travel long way under the ice,
and have seen them come up under the
Ice, press their noses to 1t awhile and
then dive again. Perhaps some scientist
might explain the case. New York
Tribune.
Tho Southerner at Home.
The southerner at homo is prone to
e. L