The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-16
BOBBING FOR CISCO.
Odd Way of Catching Delica tely
I7I,,.,.,,-1 T,;-,. rr,,uo,,.-,. a. To-

Odd Way of Catching Delicately
Flavored Fish Through the Ice.
In certain parts of the North fishing
continues practically from one end Of
the year to the other. 1t eases 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 an
glers who do not mind a low tenn
perature are getting ready for the cisco
fishing through the ice. Two weeks
hence they will be busy at it.
There is a law in Wisconsin against
fishing through the ice from shelter.
Some years ago market fishermen would
build a little hut on the ice, put an oil
stove in in it and fish continuously, TAX
ing out many fish of good varieties.
The law put q stop to that, but so long
as a man is willing to stand in the open
and endure wind and cold he is well
come to; not a game warden will chase
him.
The cisco is peculiar fish, inhabit-
ing only few of the hundreds of lakes
and it will bite in warn weather only
when the cisco fly is abroad, at other
times going into the deep holes and
staying there. At such season it will
rise to the genuine cisco fly or an imi-
tation of 1t, as garely as a trout.
In the winter time, however, when its
home is rooted over by ice from six
inches to three feet thick it will take
the angleworn if it can get it and angle
worms are what the cisco fishermen use
exclusively. Preparations for the sport
are simple
The man takes a short rod, line with
a sinker on it and a very small hook, of
the size known as minnOW hooks or fly
hooks He uses an axe to chop through
the ice, a hole two feet square, Then
he lies down on his belly with is face
over the edge of the hole and drops in
his bait.
The cisco does not strike at the worm,
but swins round and round it and oc-
casionaIly nibbles at it gently. The
man must see it when it does this so as
to 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, consider
ing its strength and the size of the
hook
A fisherman may squat or stand by a
hole all day and fish in the ordinary
fashion and get not a single cisco, be-
cause tho nibbling is 50 gentle that it
can be scarcely felt. The water in the
lakes is of crystal purity in the winter
and he can pierce it to depth of
90 feet; ciscos are caught in not more
than 10 feet Of water, generally off the
edge of some weed bank.
The FISH in shape is much like a sea
herring and it has pointed head. 1t
will measure 10 inches in length and
weigh from three-quarters of a pound
to pound and half.
It's flesh is of fine favor and dclicacy,
equaling in the opinions of governments
the best and freshest brook trout. In
deed, some pisciculturists say that is
is distinctly a member of the salmon
family.
1t is probably more plentiful in the
lakes of Waukeshaw county, Wis, but
in other parts of the Northwest, but it
is not found in all Of the WaulSesha
1t is nat found in all of the Waukesha
lakes, it's distribution being erractic.
1t is reasonably plentiful in Pewaukee
Lake. 20 odd miles from Milwaukee, but
the best of the Waukesha cisco lakes is
Okauchee.
All of these waters are reached easily