﻿COMMERCIAL 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  AND 
  VERMONT. 
  233 
  

  

  sold. 
  From 
  a 
  commercial 
  standpoint 
  this 
  lake 
  is 
  the 
  second 
  most 
  

   important 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  being 
  exceeded 
  onl}^ 
  b}- 
  Oneida 
  Lake. 
  So 
  far 
  

   as 
  game 
  fish 
  alone 
  are 
  concerned, 
  it 
  leads 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  lakes 
  of 
  the 
  

   State, 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  fishermen 
  and 
  others, 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  present 
  indications 
  of 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  supply. 
  Penn 
  Yan, 
  at 
  

   the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  Hammondsport, 
  at 
  the 
  head, 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  

   fishing 
  towns. 
  

  

  MILL 
  SITE 
  LAKE. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  lake 
  in 
  Jefl'erson 
  County, 
  near 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Redwood. 
  

   For 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  a 
  gill-net 
  fisher}^ 
  for 
  cisco, 
  or 
  lake 
  herring, 
  has 
  

   been 
  carried 
  on 
  here, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  never 
  amounted 
  to 
  much. 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch 
  each 
  season 
  is 
  salted; 
  the 
  remainder 
  is 
  sold 
  fresh. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  

   the 
  fish 
  are 
  disposed 
  of 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  ONEIDA 
  LAKE. 
  

  

  Oneida 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  lake 
  wholly 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  

   is 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  20 
  miles 
  long, 
  and 
  its 
  

   greatest 
  width 
  is 
  6 
  miles. 
  As 
  it 
  is 
  completely 
  surrounded 
  by 
  railroads, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  is 
  easily 
  accessible, 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  resorted 
  to 
  b}^ 
  sportsmen. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  fishing 
  towns 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  are 
  Brewerton, 
  at 
  the 
  out- 
  

   let, 
  Constantia 
  and 
  Cleveland 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side, 
  and 
  Cicero 
  Center, 
  

   Bridgeport, 
  and 
  South 
  Bay 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  lake. 
  Trap 
  nets 
  

   were 
  in 
  use 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  statistical 
  canvass 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  

   Fish 
  Commission 
  in 
  1895, 
  the 
  common 
  fish 
  having 
  become 
  so 
  plentiful 
  

   as 
  to 
  interfere 
  seriously 
  with 
  the 
  game 
  fishing. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  nets 
  

   was 
  prohibited 
  after 
  the 
  189G 
  season 
  had 
  passed, 
  however. 
  In 
  1902 
  

   close 
  to 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  outlet 
  7 
  seines 
  were 
  operated 
  for 
  black 
  suckers, 
  

   which 
  come 
  into 
  the 
  lake 
  from 
  Oneida 
  River 
  in 
  countless 
  numbers 
  in 
  

   the 
  spring, 
  and 
  these 
  operations 
  were 
  considered 
  a 
  great 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  

   other 
  fisheries, 
  as 
  the 
  suckers 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  consume 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   the 
  spawn 
  of 
  other 
  species. 
  Set 
  lines, 
  hand 
  lines, 
  and 
  tip-ups 
  were 
  

   also 
  used. 
  

  

  The 
  tip-up 
  fishery 
  is 
  especially 
  interesting. 
  As 
  in 
  other 
  ice 
  fishing 
  

   in 
  these 
  lakes, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  have 
  portable 
  huts 
  provided 
  with 
  stoves 
  

   and 
  benches, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  lake 
  for 
  weeks. 
  The 
  tip-up 
  

   is 
  constructed 
  over 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  ice, 
  and 
  consists 
  of 
  two 
  sticks 
  about 
  

   18 
  and 
  21 
  inches 
  long, 
  1 
  inch 
  wide, 
  and 
  a 
  half-inch 
  thick, 
  firmly 
  tied 
  

   together 
  with 
  twine 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  cross. 
  The 
  free 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  

   is 
  drawn 
  through 
  a 
  hollow 
  lead 
  sinker 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  loop 
  of 
  copper 
  

   wire, 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  bent 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  for 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  

   the 
  lines, 
  and 
  these, 
  with 
  two 
  hooks 
  on 
  each, 
  are 
  suspended 
  about 
  18 
  

   inches 
  below 
  tlie 
  sinker. 
  The 
  bait 
  is 
  usually 
  live 
  minnows, 
  and 
  the 
  

   line 
  is 
  lowered 
  until 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  bottom. 
  The 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  short 
  cross 
  

   stick 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  ice 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  hole, 
  the 
  short 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  