The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1901-12-27

An Old Guides Explanation Of the
Indian Whiteash Hunters Method
OF Geufing His Glistening Catch
From Under the Rapids.
"The first time l fshed in the Sault
Ste. Marie RAPIDS" said a well known
Lake Keuka sportsman, II landed in
IN hour twenty-one brook trout that
weighed forty-ive pounds; so I was
ready and willing to believe anything
I heard or read about the possibilities
Of those waters or the astounding
things that men who fshed in them
were able to do.
Consequently / believed what they
told me about the marvellous feats the
Indian fishermen Of the Sault Ste.
Marie could perform in the way of
netting whitefsh. Few who have tour
ed the great lakes have not heard CT
those same feats, witnessed them and.
Of course. could do nothing but go
away believing that they were all they
seemed to be.
Particularly will they marvel, as l
did, at the Indian whiteish fisherman's
magic eye with which he seems to
look down through ten feet or more of
foaming, rushing water and see white
fish that to the white mans eye would
be invisible five inches beneath the
surface. It would have been strange
II / had mot marveled at it, having
witnessed more than once manifesto
lions OF its alleged power. That was
before l talked with old Guide Garron.
The astounding feats of the Indian
whitefsh METERS Of the Sault Ste.
Marie that the guidebooks and the
hotel keepers and steamboatmen insist
on telling tourists about are performed
by two Indians in a canoe. One occu-
pies the stern and manipulates the
paddle to keep the canoes head point
ed up stream. The Indian in the bow,
standing upright, uses a pole to aid in
propelling the n or In keeping it
steady.
Lying ready to his hand is a dip net
four feet in diameter, fastened to the
end Of a pole perhaps fifteen feet long.
The fishing is done at the foot Of the
rapids. where the waser boils and tum-
bles furiously. With his pole the In
dian In the bow keeps the boat moving
about In the rapids and gazes constant
~ into the water, which is often ten
feet or more deep.
Suddenly the Indian in the bow will
seize the net handle with one hand,
never ceasing to manipulate the canoe
with his pole In the other nor for an
instant removing his staring gaze from
the water. The net is not more than
In his hand before he has plunged it
perhaps ten feet distant from the boat,
thrusting 1t at the same instant to the
bottom. Then he gives it a peculiar
twist, draws 1t up and, surrendering
the care of the canoe for the moment
to the Indian with the paddle, he
draws the net up, never without from
three to half a dozen glistening white
fish In it, frequently weighing five
pounds each.
"The wondering spectator, seeing
nothing but the boiling water. the sud
den start of the Indian and his quick
and dexterous plunging and drawing
up Of the net with It's inyariable load
OF whitefish, can do nothing but &C
knowledge to himself the necromancy
OF the Indians piscatorial art. / know
that / did, and for two seasons gave
myself away to the fascination Of that
mysterious fishing. Then one day l
marveled at 1t greatly to Guide Garron.
the shrewd and cunning old French
man who knows every rock and eddy
and whirlpool Of the rapids and all the
wiles and tricks that any other guide
knows and a whole lot that no other
one does know, and Garron's little
black Eyes twinkled.