FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 115 



stitute a piece of the soft portion of the fish in order to have any suc- 

 cess. Each man fished independently, but took a sled with him and set 

 its mast and sail up on the ice as a wind-break. The wind-screen con- 

 sisted of 8 or 10 pounds of canvas, with poles at the top and bottom, 

 like the sail of a square rigged vessel. The line was kept 8 or 10 inches 

 from the bottom, and when trout were plenty the fisherman would sit 

 and bob away steadily all the time. The fisherman stuck his ice-cutter 

 iuto the ice and tied his sled to it, cutting grooves in the ice for its 

 runners to stand in, lest it should be blown away and lost. When he 

 felt a fish biting the bait, he jerked the line, threw it over his shoulder 

 and ran with it. As trout take the bait very gently, a man who is not 

 an adept frequently does not notice the slight movement and fails to 

 secure the fish. Considerable skill is required also in hauling in the 

 line. If it is pulled too tight the hook will tear out of the fish, and if 

 too loose the fish will disengage itself from the hook. The result was 

 that those who were accustomed to this mode of fishing would make $2 

 or $3 a day when others would be glad to get even one dollar. 



In those days when the fishing was good a number of men made a 

 business of going out with teams and buying the fish. Menekaunee 

 was the principal place for the trout-bobbing, though there was some 

 from Green Bay City. The best fishing-ground is east of Ellison Bay, 

 at Port des Morts, or Death's Door. Notwithstanding the abundance of 

 the fish at that point it is open to the serious objection that it is one of 

 the channels by which Green Bay communicates with the open waters 

 of Lake Michigan, so that the ice breaks up frequently, and there is 

 consequently considerable danger of accidents and even loss of life. 



Haul-seine fishery. — There is very little fishing of any description 

 outside of the kinds already mentioned. There are, however, two "haul- 

 seines in the county, with a crew of two men each, one valued at $250 

 and the other at $150. They are used irregularly in summer for the 

 capture of pike and perch, of which about two hundred dollars' worth 

 are taken in a season by the two seines. No whitefish or herring are 

 obtained. 



Fyke-net fishery. — Three fyke-nets are owned on this shore, which are 

 fished from spring till the middle of October, for pike, bass, and pick- 

 erel. Their catch amounts to about $1.50 per day. 



40. OCONTO COUNTY, WISCONSIN. 



General remarks. — The shore-line of this county is about 30 miles in 

 extent. It is somewhat undulating in character, and is broken by the 

 mouths of three rivers — the Oconto, Pensaukee, and Little Suamico — on 

 which are located the three towns which bear their names. The majority 

 of the inhabitants of the region are dependent for a livelihood upon the 

 lumber industry. The fisheries rank second in importance. The facili- 

 ties for water shipment are good, the Chicago and Northwestern Bail- 



