The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-24
BANTAM, LAKE TIP-UPS.
sHEIR DBTELoPMBNr THROUGH
100 YEARS.


Effectiveness OF the Plat. Brush Tip-Up OF
THIS sesseu-o,oOO Hooks Wet Daily In
che Lske-Eaerme"s Satones Ihrouen
the Hss--Ono or h~o DIG RS" S'or'e"
BANTAM FALLS, Conn. Jan. 23.-Fishing
through the Ice IN Bantam Lake. Conpecticuts
largest sheet OF fresh water and most famous
pond for winter fishing now At It's heiRht.
On an average about 5000 hooks arc being wet
there daily. The fishing has been very good
this winter. Tons Of pickerel and yellow perch
have been taken out. some black bass, ana rev
trout. The fishermen come mainly from tho
principal towns In the western hair OF tho state
while ct tho hotels In Litchfeld and At tho
lake are registered the usual numosr OF row
Workers and washpgtonians. who have oeeh
visiting the lake for years to enjoy tho mid
winter sport Sometimes $50 fishermen are
scene on the lake at glance. All have been nsh-
ing with tp-ups or some notifications OF them
until recently, whom ssudden change WAS meoo
In the methods Of fish catching.
The collection OF fish trapping apparatus at
the lake Is varied and complete some OF inc
Oldest fishermen still use. TO i'm'ted extent
the first style OF tlp-up ever seen on bantam
Lake, simply bit OF lath with crosspiece" rs
apivot Tor II. The short END OF tho lhth hnhss
over the hole In tho ice ana the line ofops iroh
It. When pickerel draws down IN It's easy
way upon the bait the rear end ri the 'ath'
As signal to the fisherman. As thero IS no
slack line with this device the iish Is apt 10 pun
itself clear OF the hook before IL can DC iehocu'
but the old-timers lost fish win them ior moro
than 100 years before they taought Oh iook'ns
for anything better.
Finally q trap, consisting OF nm rpright SUCK
with an arm supporting apuIiey over tno hsh'ns
pole. was contrived by Dahoury YANKEE. who
sold many dozens OF them 10 tho lake hs"er-
80 NFnn Va Ad
steady pull from tho time the piekerei took .ne
bait until the hsh reached the top Oh 'he "n'er
was The thing to capture the hsh. AceordIhRya
weight to which ths hsh me ai'er running
through the pulley. was a',aehcn' WAS "'"a' W
pull up the hsh; Inc o.te OF tne nsh re.easeu Wv
wei.ht.wi'ieh plunged no"h 'hronRh the no'e "
the bottom. "hiie the hsh pursueu 'he opposNo
course. These traps have not proved good hsh
u.t,,rs being found to work better in theory
~,
The tp-up OF the old.fashloned weli-sweep
,,.,,.rn CAM. 4, wanna mart aud 4, was I'm gem
erai us. here for fully twenty-five years, until
early last December when II was superseded
quickly and almost completely by the new clock
spring tip-up. The wei-sweep up-up. curing
it's use. was elaborated aud improved until tho
init tn. mos. tyne wa, SS".',1s'sa Of
IN. ashing hole The short arm OF the sweep
.ne g., moi. rnoh ,v,I,h h.lJ ,hs n.h
line and bit OF lead pipe slid up and down the
arm. resting against the standard when the tran
was set. When the plckerel pulled the sweep
down the lead pipe slid down the arm to tho
knob. thus Iallassing the sweep so tina. its op,
posite end. decorated with flannel nag wouid
he thrown alott
fly to become disabled by snow and Ice which
n. LII -.
nree.s n'1 s"n. ~" ''oy vr 'ou 81. r.r,,
d. na .s's on, nj. ,Dnn. wbsn h. sr., r
si order ns to hold his V sh"s ground unit, ,hS
time OF his departure. simply cutting the Ice out
around the lines when he resumes fishing each
DAY Inc wen sweep t'p'up "oui" frequently
become so badly cloyged with Ice and snow over
tho neat morning 10 get In. gear once more in
working order.
which i saarantrrd not 10 freeze up, as lis
m'chanis N In out OF the reach OF snow and ice.
Has %sls"s hs eoss spfnx !. saa TO os
,Le c7ock makers OF lhomas!on., A standard
i..rt IN the Ice; and m arm rnlkrd TO II works
snr'nr s,rntreS inches long Sticks out Of tho
top of The standard and bears a scarlet flag.
carried on u reel, 10 set the trap
l~p In tho fish line Is hung over
held alright angles to the standard hy bending
The clock sprimg over and liking 1t Ia a slot in
the arm. bite from f-h releases the clock
iLrii " whit h at once nirts its hag Of warning
nloit. Meanwhile the line slips on The arm and
;u"S to ssaiiow IL" Sait and become s seSSrsiy
hooked. Charles Davis Of Waterbury hshed n
line 81 thiriy OF these clocs-spring tip'up. one
aay last month md took sixty-three fish, OF
which ne.hnlf were pickerri OF good size.
Every one regarded the clockspring rs n first
clHss Gait cher from The start. and every body
went wild over tho invention, until last Christ
mas day Abe Lehard came down here frnm
unmIden county, Mass. and showed his
friend, SiNs BRrtol OF bantam. trick in
catching pickerel which the lake fishermen
nav think beats all the newfangled
tr-un rigs to smithereens: Leifard took
Bar'ot hack a. frat principles. III. simply
cut down some huckleberry brush and set one
At each fishing hole. He hung the loop In The
nshline ovor y twig OF the bush and tied PIT OF
M two parallel rows OF the brush, setting out
eighty IN all The drawing ct the flannel from
~ br"ss n. ling and he mr., "ay he Two ms
pulled tn l43 nsh more than sixty ofwhich