Winter 1955/56

During all that winter I caught a lot of speckle trout’s, pickerels and pikes and snared a lot of rabbit’s. It was a great winter and what I noticed that I saw a lot of partridges and a lot of white partridges, ptarmigans they called them and a lot together sometimes 20 to 30 of them. I asked my grandfather when I can start learning how to shoot the 22 rifle or shot gun. He said you’re a bit too young maybe next year for the 22 rifle. No choice I had to wait. He also said that he would buy me a BB gun to start practising with and that maybe on my birthday. Which, I received for my birthday. That was the end of May 1956 and did I ever practise with it.

The second day out, checking my snares.

All dressed up snowshoes on and across the river I went and without breakfast again. I started by checking the farthest snares yes one big rabbit in the last one and it was frozen stiff. Oh caught a second one and ended up with three rabbits I was so much in a hurry to get home to show them to my grandparents, I did not even check my lines. Once home and showing them off and all tickled about this, my grandfather said, no fish. I forgot I’ll go back and check. My grandmother said have breakfast first and at the same time you have to warm up. I had breakfast and off I was to Charles’s Creek. The ice had frozen another good 5 inches overnight. I checked my four fish holes and had 3 nice speckle trout again the biggest one was an easy 4 lbs. I went home running with my snowshoes on.

Out to check my snares and lines

Up very early that morning and it looked pretty cold out. I told my grandma that I would go and check my things and have breakfast after. It must have been around 7 o’clock. Grandma said dress warm because it must be in the -25C this morning and with that little north wind. I did get dressed warm, tied up my moccasins and out I went and got my big snowshoes on. They belonged to my grandfather and he weighed a little over 300 lbs. Down to the river I went up and across to the other side all in 20 minutes. The first snare nothing, did not even move. The second and third and fourth and fifth nothing, I said to myself well maybe the next one or to-morrow and oops there was one but it was alive and caught by the foot. So I approached it and it started jumping I managed to get a hold of it and take the snare off. What do I do now; it was trying to scratch me. I’ll put it alive in my pack sack. As I tried to get my pack sack open guess what I lost the rabbit. I checked my other three snares and nothing. So I went on to check my fishing lines. The ice that night in my fish holes froze 5 inches. I pulled out to great speckle trout and the big one was 4 lbs 6 oz. and measured 23 inches. After everything was fixed up snares and lines back to the house I went. When I got home breakfast was in the oven waiting for me and I was hungry. I told them the story about the rabbit thinking that they would not believe me. They believed me and my grandfather said do you remember the carnation can yesterday, no bigger than that. If it’s bigger than that they jump through it and get caught by the leg.

Out Ice Fishing and Setting Snares

I was up early and got the chores done, Filled the wood box, cut up a bit of kindling, (small pieces of dry wood to start a fire). Filled up the hot water tank and emptied the slop pail. I said to grandma, yes I brought some birch in. My breakfast was ready and often it was toast peanut butter or cheese. Once in awhile I had back bacon and eggs. In an half hour I was on my way, I had to put my moccasins on because I had to put my snowshoes that morning. We had over two feet of snow on the river. Off I took with my axe, chisel and pack sac on. I was heading for Charles’s Creek half a mile down the river. Holy smokes the rabbit trails all over on both sides of the creek. Cut a few branches got my snare wire out and in about two hours I had 10 snares set. Made 4 holes which took also a good hour all my lines were in. The ice was about a foot thick, beginning of December 1954. Hoops one line is moving. I ran grabbed the line and out game a nice speckle trout 2 lbs. Put a piece of salt pork back on to the hook and back into the hole it went. Something was nibbling on the same line and out I pulled it another trout about the same as the first. I ended up catching 6 nice trout all the same size. I could not wait until the next morning.