The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-02-14
FISHING FOR sMEIT.
HOW " IS DONE IN THE wArGRs or
OREGON STATE.

i ~'eN~As Ss"t8s
Times When Hooks and Lines Are
Discarded For shevels and Garden
Rakes-The sturgeon and salmon
of Columbia River.
Whatever claim the sinelt Of Atlantic
waters may have on public appreciation,
the smelt Of the Columbia river and the
west coast are very delicious The smelt
Is the smallest marketable fish we have,
but mountain trout abound In Oregon
streams and are equal to any known.
Perhaps the largest Of our eatable fish
Is the sturgeon, and Columbia river stur-
geon are conceded to be much finer food
than those caught on the rivers and
shores Of the east or waters of the Missis-
sippi. So Oregon sturgeon are made use
| of in commerce as well as used fresh It
is natural to think Of them as belonging
| near the ocean, as those of the Pacific are
in great numbers found at the 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 advisa-
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 It's
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 is
miles through tho mad rush of the great
and lesser dalles to 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 visit made several years
ago to Arlington, so miles above the dallcs.
Seeing something foundering 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 800
to 500 pounds apiece, had tied ropes in
their gills and had each one "staked out"
much as q cowboy would stake out his
cayuse. I learned that they staked these
creatures out to have them ready when
ever the local market should DO bare of
fish or 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 SO years ago. I remember that
one of the veterans among pioneers said to
me that when his company was campcd
in the sandy shores Of Snake river they
We're much afraid of hostile savagcs. One
night they heard a terrible laundering 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 in great
schools and We're trying to get over
rifle in the river
Tho finest smelt arc found In the
Columbia They are as delicate and
dainty rs fastidious tongue Gun desire or
pamperrd palate wish. And they come
up the river when fish are mostly desired
anu 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 Commands
who are able to pay a fabulous price for
the first of the season. Nothing can be
finer; not even licked trout, fresh from
the purling brook, are more estimable,
toothsome or popular.
The common people read the items in
Tho Orcgonian, and with tears In their
voices talk of the fact that plutocrats and
monopolists and bon viveurs are eating
snelt at 20 cents Per pound, but solace
themselves with the consoling certainty
that soon smelt will be plenty for all the
world and that they will eat their full
share In a few days smelt come up the
river in quantity md down in price until
they arc piled in pyramids on tho fish
tables in front Of fishmongers' establish
ments, when everybody's wife will stop to
order them for home use
There have BEEN times when the con-
angler--who has read Izaak
Walton and heard Of Daniel Webster as
his disciple--has been sitting on log at
the mouth of the Cowlitz or some smaller
stream tributary to the great Columbia
and while lost in thought has been
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 his
log in serious misapprehension Of what
was happening. Ho could not catch the
glancing lights and shadows with his
hook and line, for they were too busy to
stop and too eager to get somewhere to
bite. The only thing he could do was to
gather them in and scoop them up with
both hands and pour them into tho opcn-
nS OF his fish basket, and when, in a mo-
nent or so, the basket was full look
)lankly about for something to hold the
prey.
Not far away would be the cabin of
omc settler. There he went in haste, an
bounced the coming of the first run of
melt when all turned loose, rolled bar
els, kegs, tubs or dry goods boxes to the
'ivers edge; then taking garden rakes
md shovcls-anything and everything
hat had a propensity to scoop and catch
md hold - the entire family-''dad,
mann" and the boys, girls and hired
to work manfully to scramble
or and rake in these wanderers from the
'riny deep who had come again in this
arliest month to revisit the glimpscs of
he silver streams where they had been
pawned and first known the golden day.
Then there were great rushing to and fro,
srcat effort and prodigious performance,
$ tons and wagon loads of smelt were
made game of and the net proceeds hur-
led to Portland to find a market.
This is but faint picture of smelt fish
ng on the broad Columbia. Then word
telegraphed, and all jewellers of the
willamette and everywhere else are prom
sed smelt without end-as long as they
all are cautioned to save their
ppettes for the time when the smelt
hall arrive.-Portland (Or.) Cor. New
,ork Times.