The sun., 1918-08-25
HOW ANGLER MAY
PRESERVE CATCH
Directions for Drying and
Smoking Surplus Fish for
Present or Future Use.
LIST OF PROPER WOODS
ny w. G. KENDALL.


the essential need Of so doing that there
may be no waste Of food fishes, whether
| the fisherman terms them coarse fishes
or game fishes This article will deal
with drying and smoking fish.
The sportsman who has to travel far
and wishes to save his surplus fish will
| find that by drying he will be enabled
! to take home a considerable supply. pro-
viding his journey Is not continuous. He
| would need to remain in one place for a
day or two at time. But the process
Of drying may be interrupted and taken
UP again, as in moving from camp to
camp. for instance.
In fact partly dried Ash when properly
prepared makes very palatable change
from fresh fish diet or will even provide
fish dinner on otherwise fshless or
possibly foodless days; that is to say
when no fresh fish Is available. for in
stance, en- route from one place to an
other when there In no time or perhaps
no place to catch fish.
For transportation the hsh may be
packed in birch bark, canvas, gunny
! sack, camp packs. rubber blanket or
even the DUNE bag.
For conveyance or shipment home
they may be made into several smaller
packages II desired and packed with
other impedimenta or shipped by parcel
post from the first post Office reached.
How to Dry Fish.
To dry the fish they should be pre-
pared and sailed as previously described.
They need remain in the salt only a
short time. If the Ash are large and
thick meated forty -eight hours will be
required. medium sized fish will need
thirty-six hours and small fish twenty
four hours.
The simplest method OF drying is to
string them on cord or withe and hang
them in the sun. To string large Ash
whole the cord or withe should pierce
the fish in two places. as at each forward
corner. In order to keep it fiat. Narrow
strips or small fish need to be perforated
but once.
A good method, but one which entails
little more labor. Is to construct a
rack Drive four or more crotched
, stakes into the ground to serve as sup
ports for poles which should be placed
parallel in the crotches. Crosswise OF
the poles other small poles or sections
Of saplings or split slabs, IL available.
may be laid.
The fish should be spread on the rack.
at first meat side up, but should be
turned from time to time and protected
from moisture. At night they should
be put un0ef cover.
1t Is practically impossible however,
to dry fish when the humidity is high
and. fish which have been satisfactorily
dried will absorb moisture, and possibly
become mouldy or otherwise deteriorate
when subjected to a high percentage Of
humidity.
In the drying process, whether within
the bounds of civilization or the wilder
ness, animals have to be reckoned with.
To protect the fish from mammals or
birds the angler will need to rely upon
his own or his guides ingenuity. II
the fish are sufficiently salt no trouble
will be experienced from flies.
r. B. Roosevelt prescribed a prepa-
ration preliminary to drying which lie
stated would preserve the fish for more
than a month. 1t is as follows: Six
teen parts brown sugar, four parts salt
and one part black pepper. Mix and
rub in the fish, from which the back
bone has been removed. Allow fish to
dry In the sun.
How to Smoke Fish.
Fish may be smoked in the field or
at any time after arriving home, hav-
ing previously prepared and sailed them
according to one Of the foregoing
methods.
The degree of sadness and intensity
OF the smoking process determines the
length OF time for which they may be
kept. For early use they may remain
in the salt only overnight and be smoked
lightly. They are then ready for maxi
ing a number OF delicious dishes. Those
fish which have been brined in camp
and taken home for winter use may be
freshened prior to or after smoking as
desired.
A smokehouse may be extemporIzed
by using barrel or large tight box
with a movable cover on the top, or a
door RAY be arranged in a side of the
box. Pieces Of wood or cleats should
be nailed on the inside Of the box or
barrel upon which strips OF wood ntly
rest. upon which the fish may be placed
as upon a rack or from which they
may be suspended
From fireplace a short distance
away a fiue or funnel leading to the
bottom of the smokehouse may be con-
structed of stovepipe II available, or OF
brick or rock. If OF rock the funnel may
be made smoke tight by chinking it with
clay or mud or covered with sod-any
thing to prevent the escape Of the
smoke and to convey 1t to the smoke
house.
The funnel or fue should be pro-
the heat II stovepipe Is available a
section with the regular damper may be
used. If It is constructed OF rock an
aperture or slot should be left In the
top and n piece OF board TO slide up and
down may serve as damper
Hickory ana Maple Good Woods.
Some kinds Of fuel are always avail
able. but they differ greatly in their ef-
feet upon the product Resinous woods
blacken the fish and some sorts impart
an acrid flavor. Such green woods as
hickory. maple, ash, willow, &c, are the
best. Corncobs are excellent Hard
wood sawdust is also good.
The dampenin8 or smothering ten
dency OF sawdust may be obviated by
making a brisk fire before using It, regu-
lating the heat to the barrel by means
OF the damper. In this case there
should be an aperture near the fire.
place to cause a draft This may be
covered with a fiat rock or tuH when
the smoke Is admitted to the smoke
house.
To Smoke--Start a slow wood fire and
fill the smokehouse with smoke. The
heat should be gradually increased un-
til the fish are partly cooked and then
the heat lessened somewhat, but the
house should be kept full OF dense smoke
until the fish are properly cured. 1t is
often necessary TO tear of small piece
Of flesh to test the fish while cooking.
According to size the fish should be
smoked rather slowly from six to thirty
six hours.
Dolly Vardens in Columbia River.
WHITE SALMON RIVER, Ore. Aug. "a