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00:00:03 - Introduction

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00:00:31 - Learning to fish from grandfather whom he lived with while going to school in Namur.

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00:01:14 - Women's roles. His mother dried wooden slats (no. 7 in display) in oven at fish camp at Riley's Point. These were made of split cedar or straight white pine. No way developed to treat them so had to dry them everyday.

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00:03:03 - Stone sinkers (no. 2 in display). Carved with hammer or chisel, hollowed so twine didn't slide. Brought extras for replacement for those the twine wore off when dragged on reef. Used with gill nets.

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00:03:47 - Differences in net size. Gill nets. 1) Small: perch and herring. 2 3/8 to 2 3/4 inches when stretched. 2) Large: Whitefish, trout, sturgeon. 4 1/2 inch mesh. Depths of nets discussed.

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00:05:24 - Running poles. Earlier cut from cedar. Hard to handle because rolled with currents under ice. Made more holes to fit them (3 to 4); later only needed one to set nets.

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00:06:31 - Making holes in ice; pound net. Used to cut with chisel or axe. With big mesh made a slot 6" wide, then sawed the rest (see diagrams in the collection). Ice depth varied from 1-4 ft.

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00:07:15 - Unsure how grandfather learned to fish.

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00:07:32 - Bridges--board for horses if ice broke. Sometimes floated horse on cake of ice.

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00:09:11 - Current. Describes its flow. Effects on fishing.

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00:09:53 - Lifting nets. Fought current. Perch net took one man only; big mesh two. Easier to pull with more fish. Pulled out and piled stones and slats so as not to tangle.

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00:12:00 - Length of nets; mostly 300 ft., sometimes 250.

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00:12:14 - Locators on ice. Evergreens set up. Sometimes a row of them formed a 'road' to shore in case of storms.

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00:14:03 - Stealing fish. Didn't happen often. Marked their equipment; initials on lead sinkers (no. 4) but not on stones. In his time they ran lead sinkers on meter cords on the edge of nets; couldn't remove easily, whereas stones tied on after the net was strung. 'Reefing them down;' shorter seaming twine from sinker to float. Forms 'bag' fish roll in. In winter used nearly all the time.

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00:16:02 - Women's roles. Never out on ice. Dried mittens and wooden slats, mended clothes, made meals.

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00:17:04 - Mittens. Made from materials available. Outer layer of bed ticking or canvas. Bottom layer woolen underwear or knitted mittens. How many used depended on job; tying nets used fewer; setting nets got wet, so used 4-5 each day depending on weather.

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00:18:58 - Keeping hands warm with kerosene. Taught by French Canadian, did in morning and lasted all day.

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00:19:52 - Exchange of 'good ideas' between Belgians and French Canadians who fished in same area. Spoke 'French' together. His mother used to write French.

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00:21:26 - Women's roles in fishing. Mother began before married (ca. 19). Sometimes gone for weeks depending on how many fish. Family had log cabin with place for horses, hauled feed. Her sister sometimes came along. Children at home took care of chores. Water used from Bay. Baked bread in cabin's oven.

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00:22:42 - Meals at cabin. Pork a staple. Fish.

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00:26:13 - Cleaning nets. 1) Big mesh. On ice put them on a canvas ca. 5 ft. square. Took hot water and soap from stove and poured over, pulled nets through 'Trampling;' sponging out water with feet. Cleaning nets (continued) 2) Small mesh. Gunny sack opened on ice. Put in boiler on stove, worked up and down. Two men needed earlier; later only one.

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00:29:20 - Repair of nets. None done in wintertime; replaced with another.

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00:29:39 - Everybody was fishing;' 'Trying to make an extra dollar in the wintertime when times were hard.' Remembers time when two men and ten perch nets brought in large amounts of fish each day.

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00:30:30 - Removing fish from nets. Awl (no.9 in display) used to pull gills out of net, poked eye of perch. Whitefish, if too large, had to be 'backed out' so as not to tear mesh. Gaff hook used with big mesh--hook 2' long.

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