296 
BULLETIN OP" THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
remarkably elective it is. Often ■when the mussels are abundant almost every prong 
will have a mussel on it, and two or three are sometimes caught on one iiroug. The 
writer saw CO marketable mussels taken on 31) hooks, and has often observed large 
clusters of shells on a single string of hooks. When the beds of mussels are compact 
one man can take 800 to 1,000 pounds of “niggerheads” in a day, and a case is 
reported where 2,200 pounds were obtained by one man in 10 hours. The average 
daily catch at present, however, is i)robably not over 500 ])onnds. 
On account of the cheai)ness and elticdency of this apparatus, together with the 
ease of operating it, it has become very po])nlar with the tishermen and has iwactically 
superseded all other appliances. It is said to reduce the labor of fishing about half, 
as compared with the shoulder rake and dredge. Another advantage is that it takes 
only live shells, while the other appliances are often loaded with dead shells, trash, etc. 
By its use a larger area can be covered and fishing done on grounds that could not 
be ])rolitably worked by other means, owing to the shells being much scattered. 
After sufficient ice forms on the river there is considerable mussel fishing through 
the ice with “shoulder rakes” and “scissor rakes.” For the use of these appliances 
under such circumstances a hole 2 to 0 feet square is cut through the ice. 
Ice fishing presents an interesting scene when large numbers of fishermen are 
working at one time on the same ground and engaged in the various steps of the 
business — some sawing holes through the thick ice, some drawing their rakes, some 
sorting their catch, some taking their catch to shore, and some returning to the 
grounds with their empty vessels. 
Among the illustrations herewith presented are two showing men engaged in ice 
fishing near Leclaire, Iowa, in the winter of 1S9S-!)!). The bed on which the fishing 
is being done is nearly a mile long and about 100 yards wide. It has been worked 
for several years, in both winter and summer, and has yielded large quantities of 
“niggerdiead” mussels. On one occasion, in the winter of 1808-00, 142 men were 
digging mussels at one time on that part of the river shown in the views, and up to 
the latter iiart of February they had obtained over 500 tons of shells from- this section. 
When the photographs Avere taken, shortly after a period of excessively cold weather, 
when fishing was susjiended, only a few of the fishermen had returned to work. The 
ice is 12 to 28 inches thick, and the water over the bed is 8 to 14 feet deep. One man 
is seen sawing a hole through the thickest ice. Some men work alone, others in pairs. 
When two operate together, one uses^ the rake while the other sorts the mussels, 
frequent change of duty being made, as the hauling of the rake is quite arduous. 
One of the long-handled rakes, with fine, long tines, is shown. One man can dig or 
rake from GOO to 800 iiounds of shells daily on such a bed. They are sorted in pails, 
emptied into box sleds, and hauled over the ice to the place where they are weighed 
and paid for. 
The fishermen who use the shoulder rake or “crowfoot” have small flat-bottomed 
skiffs, worth from $5 to $10 each. Those employing dredges have a barge or fiat boat 
with deck room sufficient for the manipulation of the windlass and dredge, and also a 
temporary cabin. Sucli a boat is valued at $20 or more. 
Some fishermen have large house-boats, which are moored at places convenient to 
the fishing-grounds and serve as temporary homes. The value of such boats is about 
$200. Usually a fisherman and his family rvill occupy one boat, and live very com- 
fortably during the fishing season. 
