The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-02-13
FISHING FOR SNELT.
HOW 1T IS DONE IN THE WATERS OF
OREGON STATE.

/ Times when Hooks aud Lines Are
Discarded For shovcIs aud Garden
Rakes-The sturgeon aud SaImon
Of Columbia River.
Whatever claim the smelt Of Atlantic
waters may have on public appreciation,
/ the smolt Of the Columbia river and tho
/ west coast are very delicious. The smelt
| Is the smallest marketable fish we have.
| but mountain trout abound IN Oregon
| streams and are equal 20 any known
| Perhaps the largest Of our eatable fish
/ Is the sturgeon, and Columbia river stur-
| geOu are conceded 20 be much finer food
/ than those caught on the rivers and
/ shores Of the east or waters Of the Missis-
/ sippi So Oregon sturgeon arc made use
| Of In commerce as well as used fresh Tt
| is natural TO think Of them as belonging
/ near the ocean. as those of the Pacific are
| in great numbers found at tho mouth Of
! the Columbia where they feed remorse.
lessly on the luscious Chinook salmon
causing such damage that the cannery
| men are seriously considering the adyisa-
] bility Of making war against them to
| save the salmon for their own use.
These sturgeon go hundreds Of miles up
the Columbia river and are found in its
upper waters They pass up the fearful
rapids Of the Cascades, which are 100
miles from Columbia river bar; then
make the still more fearful way for 10
miles through the mad rush OF the great
and lesser dalles 70 reach the open water
| found for hundreds Of miles above there
My own acquaintance with them extends
| only TO about 200 miles from the ocean
One of the greatest fish stories I ever
heard relates to a visit made several years
ago to Arlington, 90 miles above the dalles
Seeing something floundering about
strong stakes driven in the broad river, I
asked the cause, and friend told me that
some Arlington fishermen had caught a
number of sturgeon Weighing from 300
to 500 pounds apiece, had tied ropes in
their gills and had each one 'staked out "
much as a cowboy would stake out his
cayuse. learned that they staked these
creatures out to have them ready when
ever the local market should be bare Of
fish or n sudden call come from abroad.
The Columbia river fisheries reach In
value millions of dollars every year, and
salmon canneries are all along the great
river from the entrance to above the
dalles. Salmon run up as far as to the
sage plains of Idaho and came as a CRATE
full relief to the emigrants who crossed the
plains 90 years ago. l remember that
one Of the veterans among pioneers said to
me that when his company was camped
in the sandy shores of Snake river they
were much afraid of hostile savages. One
night they heard a terrible fioundering in
the river close by and stood guard all
night to ward off harm, but when morn
ing came they discovered that this noise
was caused by salmon that came i'm great
schools and were trying to get over a
rifle in the river
The finest smelt are found in the
Columbia. They are as delicate and
dainty as fastidious tongue can desire or
pampered palate wish. And they come
up the river when fish are mostly desired
and least provided. They first come in
numbers few and scattered, but with ex-
cellence beyond reproach. The pioneers
of the movement are caught with all the
pains necessary and taken to Portland to
be served to club epicures and gorlnands
who are able to pay fabulous price for
the first Of the season. Nothing can be
finer; not even fecked trout, fresh from
the purling brook, are more estimable,
toothsome or popular.
The common people read the items In
= The Oregonian, and with tears in their
voices talk of the fact that plutocrats and
monopolists and bon viveurs are eating
smelt at 75 cents per pound, but solacC
themselves with the consoling certainty
that soon smelt will be plenty for all the
I world, and that they will eat their full
share. In a few days smelt come up the
river in quantity and down in price until
they are piled in pyramids on the fish
tables in front of fishmongers' establish.
# ments, when everybody wife will stop tc
# order them for home use
There have been times when the con,
templatiye angler-who has read IzaaB
Walton and heard Of Daniel Webster as
his disciple-has been sitting on log al
the mouth Of the Cowlitz or some smaller
stream tributary to the great Columbis
u and while lost in thought has beer
;, alarmed to find the placid waters where
his line had been idly swaying as he had
been watching and waiting, disturbed by
such swarms of hustling and swimming
things that he came near falling off hii
i log in serious misapprehension Of what
}, was happening. He could not catch the
glancing lights and shadows with his
hook and line, for they were too busy K
: stop and too eager TO get somewhere tc
bite. The only thing he could do was tc
gather them in and scoop them up with
n both hands and pour them into the open
q ing OF hlS Gsh basket, anu when, IN mo
r ment or SO, the basket was full look
II blankly about for something to hold the
y hurying prey.
Not far away would be the cabin Of
y some settler. There he went in haste, an
nounced the coming of the first run o.
smelt, when all turned loose, rolled bar
rels, kegs, tubs or dry goods boxes to tn,
y rivers edge; then taking garden rake
y and shovels-anything and everything
A. that had propensity TO scoop and catcl
ar and hold - the entire faInily-''da
= imam" and the boys, girls and hireC
. man-went to work manfully to scramble
D. for and rake in these wanderers from tn
N briny deep who had come again in thi
earliest month to revisit the glimpses o
the silver streams where they had beel
spawned and first known the golden day
Ia Then there were great rushing to and fro
20 great effort and prodigious performance
st as tons and wagon loads of smelt wer
4. made game of and the net proceeds huI
4 ried to Portland to find a market.
~ This is but faint picture of smelt fish
ing on the broad Columbia. Then wor
is telegraphed, and all dwellers of tn
Willamette and everywhere else are prom