146 Bass, Pike, and Perch 



three or four feet long, with suitable hook and 

 sinker, is tied to the short end of the thin board, 

 through a small hole bored for the purpose. The 

 hook is then baited, placed in the water, and 

 the thin board is laid down on its edge, with 

 the short end at the middle of the hole in the 

 ice, and the round stick straddling it. It will be 

 readily understood that a fish pulling on the line 

 at the short end of the thin board, or lever, will 

 ra'ise the long end, thus indicating to the watcher 

 the looked-for event. The long end of the lever 

 may be shaved to a point, to which a signal flag 

 may be affixed. Where the fish are plentiful it 

 will keep one pretty busy running from one hole 

 to another to take off the pike or rebait the 

 hooks. 



When residing at Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, 

 I found that fishing through the ice for pike and 

 yellow-perch was a favorite sport. I indulged in 

 it once for pike and several times for perch, for 

 the latter is a firm, sweet, and delicious pan-fish 

 in the winter. Driving over La Belle Lake in 

 my sleigh to the "pickerel grounds," where my 

 man had cut the holes the day before, the tip-ups 

 and lines were soon arranged and the hooks 

 baited with live minnows. A fire was then built 



