Full audio file. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 1 - Introduction. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 2 - Learning to fish from grandfather whom he lived with while going to school in Namur. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 3 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 4 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 5 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 6 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 7 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 8 - Unsure how grandfather learned to fish. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 9 - Bridges--board for horses if ice broke. Sometimes floated horse on cake of ice. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 10 - Current. Describes its flow. Effects on fishing. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 11 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 12 - Length of nets; mostly 300 ft., sometimes 250. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 13 - Locators on ice. Evergreens set up. Sometimes a row of them formed a 'road' to shore in case of storms. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 14 - 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 move 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 15 - Women's roles. Never out on ice. Dried mittens and wooden slats, mended clothes, made meals. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 16 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 17 - Keeping hands warm with kerosene. Taught by French Canadian, did in morning and lasted all day. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 18 - Exchange of 'good ideas' between Belgians and French Canadians who fished in same area. Spoke 'French' together. His mother used to write French. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 19 - 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 20 - Meals at cabin. Pork a staple. Fish. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 21 - 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 (cont.) 2) Small mesh. Gunny sack opened on ice. Put in boiler on stove, worked up and down. Two men needed earlier; later only one. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 22 - Repair of nets. None done in wintertime; replaced with another. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 23 - ' 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. Tape 1, Side 1, Part 24 - 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 big mesh--hook 2' long. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 1 - Introduction. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 2 - Summer fishing with boat. Net boxes; setting of. Vats on shore where cleaned nets and dried them on reels. Needed 2 gangs; one fishing, one home. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 3 - Dressing fish on 2x4. Herring, whitefish and trout (no perch). Threw guts to seagulls. Used for fertilizer now, but not for the farm earlier because of the long distance to haul. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 4 - Lampreys and pollution affected summer fishing. Mud puppies in grandpa's nets. (Reasons for decline of summer fishing). Tape 1, Side 2, Part 5 - Attempts to halt pollution. Bands together with neighbors and other fishermen who met in taverns and fish houses in 1930's Green Bay. Tries to fight it in Green Bay and Madison; frustrations involved. Feels most quit fishing due to the pollution. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 6 - Overfishing. Use of 'deep-subs' (nets) cleans out many fish. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 7 - Hoop nets. Made hoops of hardwood, steamed. All kinds of sport fish caught; kept enough to eat, ca. 1930s. Placing of nets changed with new law that can't set withing 1/4 mile of shore. Conflicts with Oconto fishermen who came to their area and sold fish illegally. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 8 - Little Sturgeon. Once a big harbor. Canal and railroad at Sturgeon Bay brought shipping there instead. Old Stage Road ran along shore; 'main road to Green Bay' went into Little Sturgeon. Docks along road. Hauled grain, lumber; traded fish and limestone, etc. Resort area today. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 9 - Effects of tourists minimal. Those near the shore did let the cattle out. His family sold their property because of it. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 10 - Chaudoir's Dock. Hauled fruit, flour, etc. from Green Bay. Only gristmill near Bay Settlement. Some boats dumped things overboard because of shallow waters; they took rowboats out to pick it up. Tape 1, Side 2, Part 11 - Explanation of fishing tools (See fishing display in the collection with corresponding numbers). 1. Shuttle. Used for mending nets. Carved of white ash local to area. 2. Stone sinker. (see tape A, side 1) 3. Cement sinker. Made of old pipe, peg put inside which was taken out after dried. Problems with; it cut twine. 4. Lead sinker. Dated from when he began fishing. Poured into molds themselves. Initialed. Got cheap sheet lead. 5. Hooked wire. Used to pull line through center of sinker. 6. Floats (on net). Made with lathe by neighbors who did it for a living. To care for, treated with linseed oil which lasted 3 winters.
Material owned by University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. No reproduction without permission from the Special Collections Department Cofrin Library, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay WI 54311