The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-02
FISHING IN THE MISSISSIPPI.
.rS OF GREAT SIZE CAUGHT
iBOlT ST. LOUIS.
>,,. root Gar Has Ileen Hooked-Big
' water snakes and Plenty OF Crawflsh
INV an Alligator Was Captured
treasures That Have been Recovered.

treasures That Have seen heco'ered'
The business of fishing In the waters of
.,o Mississippi is by no means Of the rela-
rive importance it was when ST. Louis was
= Fr,nch village, but even now, says the
:, Lous Gtote- Democrat, considerable
nuuber. If people on the outfanks OF the
"nv north and south, gain their living
~ fsbing, trapping and hunting.
rhe fishing season Is now open. 1t IL
.,.ar entirely closed, for even in winter
.i,,e holes are cut in the ice OF the river
snd little fishing is done in desultory,
"ncomfortable way, but with the advent
-, warm weather the fish become lively,
and so do the fishermen. River fishing
=. carried on in several ways. The skill
and float method is practised by not a few
rho aoats are blocks of wood, IS inches to
.tost in length, inches in diameter, taper
mo 70 blunt point at one end into which
s,out staple is driven and cord the size
of a carpenters chalkline and to feet
4, lonoth is tied. A hook Of stout steel Ia
yell bated with any flesh or fish that may
,o con yenient. and with thirty to sixty
hlocks in his skiff the fisherman rows from
rorondele, to the head of Arsenal Island,
,brows overheard his floats and quickly
awaits bite Suddenly one OF the floats
disappears and he knows large fish has
been hooked A hundred yards from the
'place of its disappearance the float sud-
denly springs into the air, often one or two
teet above the surface. Again it sinks,
but not 80 long
Al each disappearance the period is
shorter. until finally the fish, completely
tired out, stays near the surface, when the
fisherman brings his skiff around below
the float. and then the trouble begins, for
any attempt to take the fish with a gaf
hook is stoutly resisted, and unless care is
exercised it is an easy matter for large
fish to oyerurn the boat and drown its
occupant. When it is apparent, however.
that the quarry is Of considerable size, the
float is made fast to the skiff and towed to
the shore, where the prey can be handled
with less risk. A days fishing usually
comprises float from the head Of Arsenal
Island to point about two miles below
Jefferson barracks. the work Of rowing
the skir up the river from Carondelet to
the workholse and from the barracks to
Carondelet again being no small part Of
the days task,
What may be caught depends on fisher
mans luck. The German carp, placed in
the river about thirty years ago, is now
found in great abundance, and the native
fish the channel cat, the mud cat the shovel
cat and the sturgeon, are taken Of very con-
siderable size. The channel cat takes its
name from the fact that it is most gem
orally caught in the open channel the mud
cat frequents the shore and the shovel cat
has, instead of a nose, long, sbovel-like
turning over sand. mud and stones, and
examining the river bottom with all the care
exhibited by boy spading for fishing
worms The Mississippi catfish often at
tains an enormous size Cat weighing $50
to 800 pounds have often been taken about
feet long and strong in proportion, is no
mean antagonist, for he will easily pull a
boat mile against the powerful current
ere becoming tired enough to be drawn
ashore.
Besides float fishing. the fishermen use
. line or rope, often 200 to 400 feet long,
to which are fastened at intervals Of two
to three feet short cords with hook, and
bait. One end OF the line is made secure
to q log on shore, and the other is taken out
In the skiff and anchored in midstream.
Every morning the line is examined, the
fisherman drawing it over the bow OF his
boat taking in the catch and rebaiting the
the fisherman is often compelled to draw
both line and fish ashore ere attempting to
capture his formidable prey for, although
not usually considered game fish, the
cat will fight to the last.
The most common trap in use in st.
Louis fishing grounds is an affair Of hoops
and netting, resembling two cones, each
10 to is feet in length, placed base to base.
One end is open, the other a cul-de-sac,
into which the fish easily finds his way
from the open end, but from which escape
Is impossible. This trap is anchored, paid
overheard so as to float with the current,
the open end downstream, and is visited
every twenty-four hours, robbed OF the
atrh and reset.
Dropnets are very little used in the river,
but in the pools of smaller streams, like
ne Meramer. a dropnet IA or Is feet in
'.ameter will often bring up fifty or sixty
ounds of fish at single haul. 1t is made
rrnd or square, That is a matter of in
''fcrcnec, Stout rods or rings form the
,,9tSdo fastening of the netting which
fln,' down like a bag. The net is lowered
!" two or more men from a ridge, opposite
rnHS or oven from two skifis, left oEen
r few moments on the bottom. then
'1Tn up and the fish taken out with a
'"nT handled scoop or landing net.
= one old fisherman expresses it: "The |
LIS tho snartest fish in the river. When |
j" finds hrsclf caught in seine he makes |
ore rush, gives one snap with his jaws at |
te netting, and away he goes straight |
trough; then you spend an hour mendng |
your net. The gar will watch for hours |
ut the mouth of small stream running |
INTO the Mississippi and wo betide any |
nsh that comes in or out II it's appearance |
Hnts the CARS appetite.
There is fash like lightning through |
the water and when you see the gar q gain |
ne Is swallowing the fish he caught There |
Is no other fish that has sense enough to |
watch tsherman's string until it is long |
enough for meal, but the gar watches |
and waits while you add one fish after an
other until he thinks there are enough |
Tor dinner, then there is ripple. perhaps |
splash, near the hank. The gar has cut
your string and is off with the whole catch"
Cars seven to eight feet long have been
caught in the Mississippi. and there is a
ttraditlon that one of nine feet was hooked
IN 1ahoka Creek many years ago.
water snakes of astonishing length are
sometimes found both in the Mississippi |
and the Missouri. Andrew Gamache, up
At Portage de Sioux, with a companion,
W SGoked the biggest snake on record in the
mississippi Valley. They we're fishing one
Gay on the southern side OF the Missouri |
when thev suddenly noticed few feet
from the boat a wicked snake head on a