The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-29
THE JACK.LIGHT LAW.BREAKERS.
Fishing with Gun and Spear on the Upper
Mississippi.

Out on the fats of the upper Missis
sippi River after dark the men who do no
care for rod and line fishing, or who's.
business pursuits keep them close during
| the day, are having fun with gigs or fish
spears and guns. 1t is sport which Is
against the law, and therefore pursued
the more zealously.
| For the deputy game warden, who ir
| these days of protected American areas
occupies toward the common citizen thu
position of the English keeper toward the
| poacher, there is no love lost. Almost any
one of the river jewellers would 90 some
distance out of his way to disoblige a
warden, and to fool one is well worth
! while.
People who spear or shoot fish after
dark are easily enough detected. They
carry brazier filled with burning wood
In the bow of the boat, and the light of it
can be seen for miles. The trouble is that
there is only one warden for every 800
of population.
The gig or spear is three-pronged in
strument, heavy and strong. with barbs
at the end of each prong. 1t is attached
to a light long pole and either thrown or
thrust at the fish.
The gun used is a smoOth-bored musket
of large -caliber. The projectile is of
steel and shaped like an arrowhead and
it has barb upon each side of its point.
To the base of this some 30 feet of light
strong wire is attached.
A light charge Of powder is put into the
gun, heavily wadded, and the arrowhead
dropped on top of it. The other end of
the wire is attached to the front part Of
the triggerguard and lies loosely in the
bow of the boat. The affair is much upon
the principle of the gun sometimes used
by whalers.
The fish taken upon the submerged
sand-bars are of many kinds-buffaIoe
catfish, dOgtish, drums, pickerel and the
fish known locally asssand pickerel, which
is really muskallonge. These fish are
not only in the shadows in great numbers
after dark, but they come in crowds at
tracted by the light.
Sometimes there is a mass of them,
their backs almost touching for 20 yards
all around the boat. Under these circum-
stances the shooter or spearer suffers
from an embarrassment of riches. He
occupies himself in picking out the big
gest and latest fish. as well as those OF
the best varieties as targets.
He will not shoot a dogfish except by
mistake, as no one has ever found the dog
fish to be good for anything. Bass and
pickerel are the favOrite marks, though
a blue catfish, the kind known as channel
eats, which frequents swift water and IS
clean feeder, is the equal of either in
flavor and their superior in size.
1t is every whit as difficult to shoot a
fish with the triangular projectile as it is
to spear one. In each case allowance
must be made for the refractiOn of the
water, and if the fish is foot under the
surface the marksman must aim at least
foot On the near side of his object.
Fish may be, and often are, taken at
depth of yard with the spear, but it
is useles to shoot at them when so deep.
Twelve inches of water is about all thar
the gun may be trusted to penetrate with
effect, and not then unless the boat be so
close as to give strongly plunging shot.
Thirty feet away the projectile will
ricochet upon the water.
When a dozen boats are out on sand
bar with the torches fiaring and power
full excited figures at work they make
picturesque sight. The only limit to the
number Of fish which may be taken when
the proper bar is found is the appetite
and endurance of the takers.
Six hundred pounds in a night is not
an especially heavy capture. and they
are not wasted. being shipped out of the
State to market, though that is against the
law, too.