Frostburg mining journal., 1894-01-27
The Native Way of Fishing In Arkansas
and southern Missouri " aters.


If you want to vary the pleasures
and add to the exciting sport of camp
ing out on the Current, just get your
guide to rig your boat out for an even
ing ON the river with the gig. That is
what the natives of Missouri and Ar
kansas call the spear, and many Il big
buffalo. relhorse or catfish they take
while polling along over the shoal wat
crS of the streams and SloughS of both
States. As the Current River is Il very
clear stream, gigging is attended with
much greater success than on any
other of the numerous rivers The gig
is Il three or five prongcd spear on the
end of Il long pole. and it requires CON
siderable skill to manipulate it with
success. But IL trip with Jack light
and II gig is IL novel and exciting sport
even if you don't get many fish You
are bound to see many of them. and
some fish SO big they will ast"niSh you.
When the light is perfect and the
water clear yo,l can see every object
ON the bottom of the stream to Il depth
of six or eight feet, and til" novice
with the yy often lungrS after fish
down in the water beyond the depth
of his zig handle. From one To three
feet of water is the best depth for Su,-
crSSful work with the gig. | have seen
experienced handlers of the little har
poon fill skif with big fish in the
course of Il few hours.
The lamp is constructed of an iron
basket held up by Il rod of like mater
ial. from the side or end of the boat.
ut Il height of four to six feet. This
basket is filed with pitch-pinr knots,
which are to be found i'm abundance
~, IL, IN. Ia.
and nearly all the southern and South
western rivers. When lighted they
give off lurd flame that lights up the
waters. the bluffs and the trees. Some
times cotton waste. saturated with tur
pcntnc. is used for the light. but
never when the pine knot can be
found.
The residents along the rivers choose
the gigging method of capturing the big
fish. because il is the quickest and sur
est, and it is quantity they want. The
fish they take in this manner are salt
ed down and used for food in the Will
ter season. when the buffalo. the rcd
horse and the catfish are alternating
in the deep waters far from the reach
of the deadly gig. Game fish are some
times killed with the gig. but very sci
dom. except the jack salmon. who is
IN llwinter SliirmiShcr, and is sought
for by the hardy native when the nights
are freezing cold He comes out on
Shoal water looking for food. and then
he often finds the Jack lamp" and
the zig awaiting him.
TO gig successfully and safely Il good
substantial tiatboat is reuuirrl-one
that will not get cranky and dump
you out when you make a savage lunge
Il, some big fish that darts across the
patch of light your Jack lamp" throws
down deep in the water. A good
steady man. with a cool head should
handle the pole and guide the boat or
you will run afoul of some log or rock
and upset. When Il thirty or forty
pound catfish is struck with the gig.
then there is some fun if the weapon
fails to land in Il vital spot. for the cat
is II fighter. and when you prod him
he is IL race horse and will make the
best of us hump to land him safely
st. Louis Globe bcDcmOcrat