The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-05-18
81 WING ron FISH.
\ Picturesque sut tniswiu sport an the
pper Mississippi.

tppef Nt>st>sipW.
Gu, on the fats Of the upper Mississippi
River after dark the men who do not care
Tor rod and Inc fishing. OF whose business
pursuits Keep tlern close during the day,
sr having fun viii gig OF i~ish-sp-an and
guns 1t II a sport which is against the
law and therefore pursued the more zeal-
ously
tor the deputy game warden. who In these
days OF protected American areas occupies
toward IA. common ciunrn the position oil
the lhgilsh keeper towari the pua'her,
there IL no love lost. Almost any one OF
the river ds-llers would 60 some distAnoe
out Uf hls Nay to dNobilg- a warden, and
To fool one is well worth whils.
People who spar or shoot fsh after dark
arr easily enough detected They carry .
brazier filled With burning wood in the
bow IL N" bnat. and the light Of II can Ia
seen for miles The trouhl. IL that there
is only one warden Tor every go VI popu-
Auon.
The gig or .rear Is q three-pronged ins'ri-
ni"nt. h"avy and strong. with hsrb. st the
end pf each prong. ], 10 attached 20 q light.
long pOLu and either thrown OF thrust a.
"a" tish
The gun u.,d . q smooth-bored muske'
Of large caibr' Ihs proiectile IL of steel
and shapNi Ike al arrowhead and II hAs a
barb upon each side II ~ point. To the
las Of TIM some thirty fest Of light strong
wire u attached
4 light charge Of powder 10 put into the
gun, h-a'i.y wadd,d. aud the arrowhead
drupred nn tpp NJ II III. other end Of the
wire - attached 10 IA. front part OF the
triggerguard and lies loosely IA he bow
~ Ga" hoat. The AFFAIR IL much upon the
rrncplc ~ the gun sometimes used by
whal.rs
The fish taken upon tho submerged sand
iar~ arr 81 many kinds -bIfaloes, catfish,
dosil-h. drums, pickrrrl and tn. iish known
lp'ollv 80 -and p'Ckerel. which n rally
"A mu-kallrnge lhc~e fish are not only IN
IA" shadows In great numls.rs after dark.
hu' they Cnme IN crowds attracted by the
light
Sometimes there IL a mass Of them, their
hacks almost touching for tw-nty yards
all around 10" boat. Under thr-e ctrCum-
s'anCs'~ the shooter - sr-srrr suffers from
az embarrassment of riches. He occupies
himself ia picking out tho biggest and
fat'"st hsh, a. we'll as those Of ths bcet
varieties s- targets.
ID" WLl not shoot a dogfish except ty
mistake, as no one has ever found the dog
fi-h To- h" good f"r anything. Has and
Iicker'l az" 10" favoi1te marks. though n
blue catfish. The Mind known ~ channel
~ NNHA NN Nv ''N FNNN 80 eNAl ~ ~
clean feeder. - the equal 81 either la favor
and their 'uIrriur Ia size
II l. every whit ~ difficult TO shoot q fsh
with the triangular pfuyeCtii~ a. II d, Ia sJ-ar
one In each ..is allowance must lie u AIDE
for the p'iri'ttun Of ~" water aud II The
h-h j. \ foot under the surface tho marks-
man must aim a. least "A foot OF tile near
side 10 ms object
Fish may 10. and often arc. taken nj a
depth 1T "A yart with tho spear. hut II ~
useless 20 slout A. them when - deep
Twelve inches - water h about all tha tie
gun NAV IT, trusted 10 p"netrat. with effect
and not then unI-ss the i-a, lr 80 Close a.
70 give a strongly plunging h O Thirty
feet away the p%roJcctile viii ncochet upon
the water.
when a dDyen boats are out on q sandhar
with tn" tor 'cs fiaIing and powerful er-
cited figures az work they make a pic
turr.gur sight. Tho only limit 10 the
nuwi"r Il fish V'i,h may ~ taken when
the prur-r har i found Is The appetite and
endurance Il no" takers.
Sin hundred Sounds in a nigh; IL not an
especially heavy capture and they are not
waited. bling Al ipI-d out ~ tho State to
market. though that - against the Law. too.