﻿MUSSEL 
  RESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLINOIS 
  RIVER. 
  29 
  

  

  Dip 
  net. 
  — 
  Since 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  the 
  mussel 
  fislieiy 
  began 
  on 
  this 
  river, 
  

   it 
  was 
  known 
  that 
  Peoria 
  Lake 
  contained 
  large 
  beds 
  of 
  good 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  shells, 
  but 
  until 
  1911 
  no 
  very 
  successful 
  method 
  of 
  taking 
  

   them 
  had 
  been 
  devised, 
  scissor 
  forks, 
  oyster 
  tongs, 
  rakes, 
  and 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  mussel 
  bar 
  with 
  crow-foot 
  hooks 
  proving 
  unsatisfactory. 
  

   The 
  dip 
  net 
  was 
  introduced 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  that 
  year 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  

   used 
  there 
  almost 
  exclusively, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  simple 
  in 
  construction, 
  inexpen- 
  

   sive, 
  and 
  especially 
  suited 
  to 
  soft 
  mud 
  bottoms 
  free 
  from 
  logs 
  and 
  

   hang-ups, 
  and 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  current. 
  Like 
  the 
  mussel 
  

   bar, 
  it 
  gathers 
  nearly 
  everything 
  in 
  its 
  path 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  bottom 
  and 
  

   even 
  some 
  little 
  distance 
  below. 
  Besides 
  the 
  live 
  and 
  dead 
  shells, 
  and 
  

   always 
  plenty 
  of 
  mud, 
  there 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  times 
  in 
  the 
  net 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  

   of 
  a 
  haul 
  some 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  articles: 
  Bottles, 
  cinders, 
  

   lanterns, 
  old 
  shoes 
  and 
  rubbers, 
  folding 
  anchors, 
  spectacles, 
  shotguns, 
  

   pieces 
  of 
  musical 
  instruments, 
  shovels, 
  watches 
  and 
  rings, 
  jugs 
  of 
  

   gasoline, 
  monkey 
  wrenches, 
  waterworks 
  keys, 
  tin 
  cans, 
  corncobs, 
  

   snags, 
  etc. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  who 
  invented 
  this 
  valuable 
  apparatus, 
  but 
  probably 
  

   the 
  idea 
  developed 
  from 
  the 
  fish 
  dip 
  net, 
  which 
  it 
  resembles, 
  by 
  gradu- 
  

   ally 
  changing 
  its 
  form 
  to 
  the 
  substantial 
  tool 
  now 
  employed. 
  There 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  two 
  dip 
  nets 
  alike, 
  as 
  the 
  blacksmiths 
  make 
  them 
  

   according 
  to 
  orders 
  and 
  the 
  material 
  at 
  hand. 
  However, 
  the 
  various 
  

   designs 
  and 
  patterns 
  are 
  very 
  similar, 
  the 
  main 
  difi'erence 
  being 
  in 
  

   size. 
  The 
  method 
  of 
  operation 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  for 
  all 
  of 
  them. 
  In 
  a 
  

   general 
  way 
  the 
  dip 
  net 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  heavy, 
  flattish 
  iron 
  hoop 
  of 
  one 
  

   piece, 
  bent 
  somewhat 
  triangular 
  in 
  form, 
  with 
  two 
  of 
  its 
  sides 
  curved 
  

   outward 
  and 
  fastened 
  firmly 
  with 
  bolts 
  to 
  a 
  pole 
  or 
  handle 
  16 
  to 
  20 
  

   feet 
  long. 
  The 
  third 
  side 
  or 
  bottom 
  is 
  straight 
  and 
  from 
  18 
  to 
  36 
  

   inches 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  is 
  usually 
  provided 
  with 
  coarse 
  teeth 
  along 
  its 
  

   edge, 
  which 
  is 
  bent 
  downward. 
  A 
  net 
  of 
  2-inch 
  mesh, 
  made 
  of 
  small 
  

   chain 
  or 
  no. 
  96 
  trot 
  line 
  with 
  a 
  capacity 
  of 
  a 
  bushel 
  or 
  more, 
  is 
  fastened 
  

   to 
  the 
  hoop 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  chain 
  links 
  and 
  trails 
  behind 
  it. 
  A 
  short 
  

   rope 
  or 
  bridle 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  curved 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  hoop 
  leads 
  to 
  a 
  

   single 
  rope 
  secm-ed 
  to 
  the 
  bow 
  of 
  the 
  boat, 
  Wlien 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  rather 
  

   deep, 
  the 
  boats 
  are 
  fitted 
  with 
  a 
  boom 
  pole 
  extending 
  forward 
  from 
  

   the 
  bow, 
  and 
  the 
  rope 
  from 
  the 
  bridle 
  is 
  fastened 
  to 
  its 
  end, 
  thus 
  

   giving 
  greater 
  length 
  of 
  rope 
  and 
  convenience 
  of 
  manipulation. 
  

   Driven 
  by 
  a 
  gasoline 
  engine 
  of 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  20 
  horsepower, 
  according 
  to 
  

   the 
  size 
  and 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  dip 
  net, 
  the 
  boat 
  draws 
  the 
  apparatus 
  

   through 
  the 
  water 
  along 
  the 
  bottom. 
  The 
  greater 
  the 
  power, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  the 
  better 
  the 
  results. 
  The 
  operator 
  stands 
  in 
  the 
  stern 
  of 
  

   the 
  boat 
  and 
  steers 
  with 
  his 
  foot 
  or 
  leg, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  puts 
  

   the 
  net 
  into 
  the 
  water, 
  usually 
  at 
  his 
  right 
  side 
  and 
  bears 
  down 
  

   heavily 
  on 
  the 
  handle. 
  The 
  teeth 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  hoop 
  dig 
  

   up 
  the 
  mussels 
  which 
  roll 
  into 
  the 
  net. 
  Unless 
  the 
  appliance 
  be 
  

  

  