The mirror., 1919-03-13
SPORT OF WINTER FISHING
Some Valuable Information Pertaining to the Enjoyable
Pastime of Fishing Through the Ice.
Harry J. LaDue, in Fins, Feathers and Fur

matter how you carry it. The old
rule that an ounce of prevention
is worth pound of cure" is at no
time more applicable than when
carrying sharp-edged tools and es-
pecially in the woods. where the
footing is never secure. You can
easily strap a sheathed axe so that
it can be carried on the back. You
will also have need for an ice chisel
and this can be made portable by
taking an ordinary socket chisel
and removing the handle and drill
ing hole into the socket from the
side. A pole can then be cut near
the lake and fitted into the socket,
driving a nail into the hole to make
secure.
On arriving at the lake and pick
ing the likely spot for your opera
tions, your first task will be to cut
through the ice, and here a word
of advice will not be amiss. Start
your hole by cutting long cash,
narrowing the hole the deeper you
go. You'll thus be able to get a
good swing with the axe without
danger of breaking the handle or
barking your knuckles as SO often
happens in cutting a round hole.
Furthermore, you'll overcome the
difficulty of lifting a solid core
from the hole.
When you have chopped down
to within an inch or two of the wa
ter, substitute your chisel for the
axe. This is a precarious opera
tion, for if the axe bites through
and allows the hole to fill with wa
ter at the first blow you are in for
a shower or your hands may lose
their grip and then goodbye"
axe.
With the fishing hole properly
cleaned out and your hook baited
you are now ready to fish and your
first catch or two will seem some
what sluggish to your mind as you
remember the snappy fighters of
the good old summer time.
Later on your eyes and your
thoughts will commence to concen-
trate on that battered old pack-sack
lying in the snow, which in turn
will conjure up mind pictures of
the snug, wind-protected hollow
Nesting in the woods on the near
shore, with sputtering little fire
sending its curling smoke wreaths
up through the bare branches. If
you would enjoy all the pleasures
of a real outing, on no account
leave out this part of the days
program. A pot of coffee and sew
eral pork chops or strips of bacon
over a winter camp fire will add
perfection to your perfect day.
Fishing in a fish house is a more
elaborate method of following the
gentle art and mayhap a more ap-
pealing one to you. The fish are
procured by spearing and the op-
erations are carried on in a little
darkened shack or under a blanket
or snow-house set up on the ice.
This is licensed privilege to be
obtained from the state game and
fish commissioner upon the pay
ment of the required fee of one
dollar.
The blanket and snow-house are,
of course, makeshifts and some
what uncomfortable. They are,
however. used to some extent by
our northern Indians and trappers.
The fish house, if properly con.
structed, is about as cozy a little
shelter in which to indulge in the
sport of winter fishing AS can be
had under the circumstances. It
is comparatively economical to
build; in fact, is usually construct
ed out of odds and ends of lumber,
corrugated iron, sheet iron and
tin, taxpayer or manufactured pa
per substitutes, the chief aim, being
to produce a shelter about six feet