The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-08
%GIGGINGONTHE MISSISSIPPI
SPORT or CATCHING BIG FISH AT
NIGHT WITH A SPEAR.
II, Picturesque and Rsmunerative and There
I. some Danger Attached 60 r-Pecuiiar
,Iul Reauired-Attraction OF the Light
for the Fish some Big Catches Made.

brYat ana wlnulDS ElNtT NfIr n way buH-
mel built 10y crazy engineers. The likeness
c,ss.s, however, when the observer has fixed
b. ave, for a minute or two. because these
..,gt. move often. They are the Jacks in the
,,,y.o, cranky, hat-bottomed. narrow boats
a. the mon in the boats are engaged ille-
s,Yy IN ssstng or spearins fish for the market.
Or or for their own unholy
Am cement In the faring flames their figures
,,-ce uncannlly and black, They cast long.
,r.f..yueiv shaped, erratically moving figures
mon the yellow. sliding water. and from a
r,y.h-p.ardad throat a deep oath comes up
,Iars throw is made and the target missed.
Nh, ua->e, OF willows upon the islands stand
A. 4 carved from ebony. overhead the stars
rr-r m a vault OF blue black. the roar OF water
como, from tho dam where it Faces through.
orl now and then a long wailing cry sounds
frYm some great loon disturbed from its rooSt.
~, port Is picturesque enough and remunera-
t,a enough also in the way OF fish meat. but
,g,rs i some danger attached TO il and LASH
ms oi hard work.
The r,h taken at night are for the most part
cats. b~uyaloes, pickerel. sand pickerel IA sort
~ upd,r.ized edition Of the muskalonge.
dn.1sh and, for the fun OF II, gars. These
lr., sometimes attain to enormous size for iresh-
Ntfn F~fl, 4 lSlElno louT Atrl dIu 4 Nls VI
NV pounds IRE not unusual among them. There
have bean individuals taken which measured
sy feat and weighed more than a hundred. The
gg ~ fish spear used here is a heavy five
rr,r.ed trident each prong barbed like a fish
hook. and all OF 1t made of the best hand-forged
s,,sl Occasionally factory made Instruments
ara tried. hut they do not prove good. Several
local blarksmiths have a reputation for the
80. I 81, anaar2 and tba haa, -
them cost from s. 50 TO 50 each. The weight
o, the gg is about two pounds. Ii has a hol-
low shaft three-quarters of an inch in diameter
and eight inches long. This is fitted over a
round wooden pole from eight to twelve feet
lon. It FITS loosely. Through the bottom
part Of the hollow shaft are holes. A stout
line : passed through the holes and its other
end j. held by the spear throwsr,
When a fish Is struck the barbed pron9s sink
deeply in. In the first swirl the wooden pole
comes out OF It's fastenings and floats upon
the water. The captured swimmer is then
hauled in hand over hand by means of the line
raeysd through the spear shaft All fishermen
understand that If a three-pound bass ne
hooked foul by accident. caught through the
back or in the side, the weight upon the rod
and the strain OF handling it are increased ny
IN per fful. ODlllF uluFl dilll Nil'h VIII
b. had Of the strength and weight OF a twenty
pound channel cat that has been struck securely
and yet has its whole broadside opposed to ths
man who is endeavoring to haul it in. A fish
80 caught and in good condition, supposing
that the baros have not sunk deeply enough
1, reach a vital spot, will give a strong and OK.
pert man all that ne wants TO do. The diff-
Guilty Of it Is enormously increased by the in
-.-, . ,kn ,,,p'. FA1tfn. Thaa, Nil
sissippi boats, nearly all fiat bottomed and
narrow. are possibly the crankiest craft in
the world. 1t is no trick at all for a ten-year-
old boy 20 turn one OF them bottom side up,
and a full-grown man in one OF them needs the
utmost caution 10 avoid a ducking. IL is said
OF them that they will capsize il the occupant
parts his hair 20 one side, though this il
an evaggeration Expert a. are the pro-
iesSional fishermen OF the river. there is not
one Of them who starts upon a gixging expedi-
ton without the expectation OF a spill. II the
spearing be done in the shallow water az the
lower end OF the sandbar. no harm can result,
but often it is necessary for the elected sports
man to swim for It. The Jack goes out. OF
course. as soon as the boat turns and SWIM
ming in A strange and wide current in the black
dark is no, the most amusing thing in the world
10 the novice or the stranger.
It may be said for disappearing that there
+ always an interest in IL and not intreguently
great excitement. To begin with. the fish are
n great plenty. 1t is difficult to convince
one who has not seen it OF the vast numbers
Of the schools which congregate near the bars
and AZ the mouths Of the sloughs for feeding
or p&laytns Probably it is not too much to
east by the jack there are a thousand fishes
u the kinds mentioned. As far as the eye
can see the water is dimpled and broken by
than II u-ntlI ha pnGEihia m thrnvr rha snaar
hlindly and strike quarry. after quarry. but
the men ara after the best OF them and so a
careful selection IL made.
For purposes OF the blue cats.
or channel eats. are. most valuable. They
weigh more than the bass or the pickerel and
the flesh commands almost as high a price.
Newt 10 the cats among the larger fish are
buNaloe1. Dog-1sh are Of small value and
slrs are Of no account at all. except as fighters.
9t b mo"nle,' nights ne ! = poor sPear,fshe G
tWp hours, and some ot the catches have run
close 10 a thousand pounds, Often the boat,
return so heavily laden that the %cHnvales
the skin are covered by fish halfway 70
tH1ir knees, When a catch Of mis- kind is
made by professionals the fish are sorted.
ptt On ice and shipped Immediately to the
Chicago. Milvlukee or 81. Paul market, II
amateurs make a killing Of this kind. as is
zone more than once in a season. the greater
ana rotS,. II il Of no use TO any body and when
has become sufficiently offensive 20 faint
~" lxnNOEnoDl Is SnOVelsQ DNCk INFO tns
water and loated away. II Il the enormous
vast" Of this sort Of fishing which has led the
STATE - enact a stringent law against IL. No
attention - paid ~ the law In this locality.
= not an overestima'e 10 saw that in thu
Ht'la town Of Ferry vile alone 10000 pounds
OF nah i wasted IN this manner in each sea-
son, and that which l. true ~ Ferryville in
tnt' respect Is true Of every other small town
hl51s n" river. from the junction Of the Hi
nois w 70 81. Paul.
H. S~Nearinc fish BY the light Of a gasoline
JACK not only must the spear thrower be pos
s@>s@d OF I nice sense Of equilibrium. but he
must also have a good eve and practice. Even
WIN these natural and acquired gifts, IL does
h.ot follow that he will attain to eminence in
,He arr, because hurting the gig Is like tv-cast-
INK IN one respect. II Ia possible TO almost
any sound man to attain 10 medloCrity. but the
genuine Expert has II born in him. The pose
g m" man with the weapon II In the highest
dsGt"A artistic. He stands erect In the bow
81 ne narrow craft, his left foot advanced,
Ms weight resting on the right foot. the long
,n"r held up and back over his right shoulder,
: almost exactly the pose Ia be seen In any
''tle ~ q Greek or Roman hurler Of the jaw
' 80 standing with his ewes fixed intentlv
'h" water and every line ~ him expressing
l'"1~" expectancy. he waits for the CLEAN
90 q Vet -llverv side n proper SiZe. while the
I HEhf f1rrs into his face and flows down
>i"1 ~ hin IN crimson waves, His task
N'Itd TN" easy II II were correct TO aim directly
q DIS target and 50 make his cast. Water
,'' 80 hoVeyer and allowance must be made
lr me depth n 4 fish. \ bass fifteen feet
ava ana a ward under the surface offers a
.IiiS marx. but the amateur will not strike
''." m '"n throws. The spear must be- aimed
u 4 i"lr' 1rporeutlv three feet under the fish.
"rN,~" n Will glance harmlsSSly over the
"T -'incr 10 hlrl below "A n-h that tho
'." m ot ~pear-throwing lies. Some men