The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-14
BOBHING FOR CISCO.
Odd way OF Catching Deiicately Favored
Fish Through the Ice.

In certain parts Of the North fishing con-
tinues practically from one end Of the year
to the other. II ceases in the chilly time
just before the lakes freeze over and again
when the ice is melting and going out.
In southern Wisconsin even now anglers
who do not mind low temperature are
getting ready for the cisco fishing through
the ice Two weeks hence they will be
busy at il.
There is law in Wisconsin against fishing
through the ice from shelter Some years
ago market fisherman would build little
hut on the ice, put an oil stove in it and fish
continuously, taking out many fish Of good
varieties. The law put a stop To that. but
30 long ar a man is willing to stand in the
open and endure wind and cold he II vel
come to, not game warden will chase him.
The cisco IL peculiar fish, inhabiting
only few of the hundreds of lakes and il
will bite in warm weather only when the
cisco fly is abroad. at other times going into
the deep holes and staying there A, such
season 1t will rise TO the genuine cisco fly
or an imitation of it, as gamely as a trout
In the winter time, however. when it's
home is rooted over by ice from six inches
TO three feet thick il will take the angle
'N''h - ~ Noh 81 ~ hiNi hiie t"Oi MS are
what the cisco fishermen u9e exclusively
Preparations for the sport are simple
The man takes a short rod, line with
sinker on 1t and very small hook, of the
size known IA minnow hooks or fly-hoohs
He Uses an axe to chop hole through the
ice, hole two feet square. Then he lies
down on his belly with his face over the edge
Of the hole and drops in his bait
The cisco does not strik" at the worm. but
/
ally mbbles at II gently. Tie man must
see IT wien it does this 10 AZ 10 make his Jerk
at the right moment Often he misses.
but sometimes the hook gets home and then
the cisco is hauled up as soon as maybe,
considering its strength and the size of the
hook.
A fisherman may squat or stand by hole
all day and fish in the ordinary fashion and
get not IL single cisco, because the nibblng
is so gentle that II can be- scarcely felt. The
water in the lake. IL Of crystal purity in the
winter and the eye can pierce il 10 depth OF
twenty feet, ciscos are caught in not moro
than ten feet of water, generally OF the edge
of some weed bank.
The fish in shape is much like n sea herring
and it has a pointed head II will measure
ten inches in length and weigh from three
quarters Of pound to pound and a half.
equalling in the opinions Of gourmcts the
best and freshest brook trout Indeed
some pisciculturists say that IL is distinctly
a member of the salmon family
1t is probably more plentiful in the lakes Of
Wauks ia county, Wis, than in other parts
of the Northwest. but it is not found in all
of the Waukesha lakes. its dist ribution being
erratic. IL is reasonably plentiful in Powau-
kee Lake twenty-odd miles from Milwau-
kee. but the best of the Waukesha cisco
lakes is OkauChee.
All of these waters are reached easily bv
railway, and the bulk Of the winter cisco
fishing is done by men from Milwaukee.
Milwaukee German will stand sit or lie on
the ice for ten hours at a time and drink
ice-cold beer without evil effects. The
more beer he drinks the merrier and warmer
he will get and the more ciscos he will catch
but he is the only being on earth that can
do il.
Sometimes the Milwaukeeans Use skates.
and sometimes they go out on the ice with
rubber boots. They string their fish as
fast as they catch them and the fish freeze
as stiff as iron bars, but the fishermen are