The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-10-14
Large Sums Invested Ia The BuSineSS
OfCatChing and Marketing Them,
FAMILIAR APPLIANCES USED
Gill Nets and Pound NelS Same as
on Columbia River, Bul The In
duSIH Small by Comparison,
Chicago Times.Herald.

Chicago Times-Herald.
Through all the northern waters OF
Lake Michigan just now the trout an
running. In schools. in shoals, in
swarms these silver-sided wanderers
are flashing TO the feeding grounds,
II is the time Of their semi-annual mi.
grafton. Only twice year 10 they
give the fishermen a chance 10 make a
close acquaintance with them. In the
early spring they come suddenly into
human ken, remain six weeks and dis
appear. on or about September l they
return once more to shallow waters and
net ridden reaches. Where they go in
the meantime. where they live and how
they live the man is not alive who can
say. Old ishermen. who have spent
the best years Of their lives along the
stormy coasts Of the lake, profess to
believe thai the trout and the white
fish 20 through the lake system and
into the St Lawrence and thence into
tie sea. Il is a certainty that they
disappear apparently from all OF the
lakes at some seasons. They, Of
course, do not put to sea. They are
fresh water fishes. The most reason
able hypothesis is that they retire to
the center Of the lake. where the water
is deepest and least disturbed. and
there think for months at a stretch.
The food fishes OF Lake Michigan are
not Of numerous species. They are the
whitehsh, the trout, the sturgeon, the
perch and the herring. Sturgeon are
rare. So, comparatively, is the herring.
The whitefsh and trout are in acres.
There are no bass, no muskellunge, no
pike. no pickerel. There is reason 10
believe that all of these fishes once ex-
listed in the lake waters, but they dis
appeared. Probably they were all
caught. 1t seems impossible that they
should b exterminated by man. but
there is no explanation for it. Fish
depopulation happens more frequently
than is generally known. Old Chicago
ans c1n remember that as boys they
used to go TO South Chicago, then
known as Calumet, and catch a wagon
load Of whitefsh whenever they wish
ed. They are not very old men a.
that. II is probable that not a white
Gsh has been caught off Chicago in the
last five years. They were very infre-
quert ten years ago. That which is
locally true Of the whitehsh is true also,
In lesser degree. Of the trout. ocea-
they are taken hereabouts, but
It dos not occur often. They used to
b. plentiful About the only lake fish
which is left to the Chicago man is the
perch. This sport fourishes. Whoever
wanders along the city's lake front and
sees the fishermen raising their circular
nets may know that they are after
perch. There is nothing else for them
except minnows, which are used only
Tor perch bait.
There are in the city. however, 300
men who derive their subsistence who'll
y from catching perch. They do very
we'll at 1t while it lasts, but the season
. short. The perch also comes in the
spring and goes away and comes in the
Tall for a while. and once more disap-
pears. He, 1t has been ascertained be
1ond doubt goes to the deeper and un-
.raubled waters Of the central lake.
He lies Derdue under the ice all Of the
winter through. deep down where not
sigh Of the howling winter wind can
each him, but how he lives is another
natter There is nothing out there
which he can catch. In fact, all Of the {
'ther finny denizens Of that part of
he unsalted sea are bigger than he. !
Ind they dine on him merrily. -
The Chicago perch fisher uses a gill
let. A gill net is six feet wide and 1SO
eet long. From one side Of it depend
Ines to which are attached heavy
weights. That is the bottom side.
from the top side come lines to which
arge floats are attached. When th4
'ill net is set the weights rest upon
re bottom and the floats on the sur
ace. 1t stands UP about 21 feet under
ne surface, like fence. The shoals
4 perch strike II in their quest for
God. The meshes are large enough to
ct the little ones pass through. Those
9orth taking can get their heads
through and that is all They attempt
b draw back and the thread Of the
'esh slips under the gill. There they
re. Struggles are useless, and in fact,
hey struggle very little. They just re-
lair quietly and resignedly station
ry, anchored by the gill until the
IAN who owns the net comes out in a
tile boat, lifts 1t and removes them
y hand, tossing them into the bottom
T his craft, where they founder until
hey can founder no more. When he
caches land he will set about cleaning
hem, and the expertness he develops
nothing short Of wonderful. It is
is business to remove not only the en-
rails from the perch, but the scales
lso. August Woelke, a squat German,
Tho has been a Chicago fisherman for
wenty years, has his gill nets set from