The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-01
CARP IS THEIR PREY.
HOW. THE SEEMING IS DONE; THE
BIG NET TO BE USED.
Twenty-Five Feet Deep and Twenty
Five Hundred Long; 1t Now Lies
at Point Pleasant; What These
Fishermen Have Done to Rid the
Mississippi River of Undesirable
Fish; No Chance to Crib.

There is great interest manifested in
the operation of SEEMING Lake Madl-
son by Messrs. Williams brothers and
Holsheimer, whose outfit is now at
Point Pleasant for the purpose named
The great seine, twenty-five feet
deep and $500 feet long, lies in neat
folds on the north shore near Frank
Knauf's residence Thursday evening
it will be loaded upon a thirty foot
barge which the fishermen have just
built over at Barclays Point, and will
then be lowered over to east bay
where it will be paid out for its
entire length and drawn straight in
to the shore with its great treasure of
struggling fish.
Biggest Net Now in Use.
This is the biggest net now in use
in the state of Minnesota and is eX-
pected to play great part in the pro-
cess of Kidding the nearby lakes of
the carp nuisance. Some idea of its
Importance in the eyes of the fisher
men may be gained when one is told
that these same parties drew at one
haul from the Mississippi river near
La Crosse, Wis, forty-five thousand
pounds of carp and buffalo fish and at
another time with a somewhat larger
net nearly ninety thousand pounds of
the same fish. The guesses or esti-
mates on what may be drawn with
the gigantic seine which these parties
will put into Madison lake next Fri
day vary from a water haul Though
few predict such a result), up to $780,
600 pounds. Joe Williams, ST., partner
in the firm, says he expects good
results but that seining for carp in
open water, especially in comparatively
shallow water over an unknown bot
tom is at best a lottery.
Best Results Under the Ice.
Their best results have been OBJ
tanned under the ice and the deep wa
tiers of these lakes will be worked
that way after these preliminary trials
have been made for the purpose of
definitely determining the quantity
and grade of fish which these lakes
are likely to yield. As to the guam
tity of carp there is no question in
the minds of the fishermen; but as
to the proportion of number one
tlargest) carp, and number two carp
(say about two pounds and under),
there may be quite disappointment
in store. These shallow bays cannot
be seined very well under the ice. So
they will be worked now during the
next two or three weeks and then
there will be al. let up until the ice
on Madison lake is about six inches
thick, when the seiners will return to
the charge and draw the deep waters
of the lake, at which time the great
est results are to be expected.
Whether the great mass of carp
which 90 into the deepest water in
from forty to perhaps one hundred
feet deep with twenty-five foot
seine is a problem which these enter
prising gentlemen are going to great
lengths and expense to determine and
the results will be watched for with
great interest.
Great Curiosity Is Shown.
Great curiosity Is shown by people
not familiar with water and fish craft
to know how a great seine nearly a
mile long and twenty-fiv feet deep
can be run under the ice. There are
two ways, the first is to cut large
hole in the ice through which to in
sert the net, pushing the draw ropes
along with a long pole from hole to
hole (dug as far apart as the length
of the pole will permit), until the
whole net is stretched away out lii
the lake parallel with the shore.
Lines are carried to shore in the same
manner and the drawing process is
simple. The ice is cut away for "a
landing and the fish secured.
There will be some interesting days
for Pat Jordan, state game warden,
who will represent the state and see
that the provisions of the state law
under which this carp SEEMING is per-
mtted, are complied with.
No doubt many an onlooker may