The Glamor of Ice Fishing, 1893

Ice fishing is often criticized by non-afficianados as, to say the least, boring particularly as it involves waiting hopefully in the cold for the spring of the red flannel flag. In December 1893, ice fishing on the Lakeville ponds was in full swing and one local resident looked to circumvent the dreariness of the task with an ingenious device as reported by the Middleboro Gazette.

   Ice fishing at the lakes has been the popular sport with our fishermen during the past fortnight, and many large strings are reported. Speaking of this sport, S. L. Young, of the west end fruit store, has contrived about the slickest arrangement for angling through the ice that has been seen hereabout, simple in its construction, yet effective. A wooden arm is set up securely in the ice at an angle, just over the hole, and the line is attached to a steel point in a lever which works upward easily upon a pivot set through the upper part of the open space in the centre of the arm. The unwary fish takes hold of the bait, and up comes the lever, upon one end of which is affixed a bit of red flannel; he bites more strongly and then a bit of wood hung just above the lever drops down and is caught in a ratchet arrangement in the lever, which is thereby suspended horizontally, and the fish is hung up like Haman and securely caught.

Illustration:
"Ice Fishing" courtesy of Old-Picture.com.

Source:
Middleboro Gazette, December 22, 1893, p. 4.