Eskimo Ice Fishing

When the Eskimos went ice fishing they had a box and a rod. Inside the box was bait, knife, rod and string. The type bait was the Eskimos used was always live bait so the fish would come. When they used live bait, it was mostly worms. If you were smart you would check to make sure the ice was strong enough to walk on so you would not fall in. As the Eskimo would wait for there fish to come up they would sit on the box so they did not get cold. Also so they did not go through the ice as easy. Most of the time when the Eskimos went ice fishing they would sit there for hours and wait a bit and try to not let it got. Most Eskimos went ice fishing by themselves so if they went under not a lot of people would hear them. When spring came they did not dare to walk on the ice. Eskimo ice fishing would also include several different concepts, like the hunting of seals and sea lions for their oil and fur, and also the exploitation of these animals to capture fish. Seals and sea lions are left free but harnessed and their throats bound with cord. When they swam underwater to catch fish, the cords would prevent them from swallowing their catch. The actual Eskimo ice fishing practice is really no different from today’s methods, chipping a hole in the ice and putting the lure through. Eskimo fishermen would catch all the fish they can, stringing unconsumed fish and drying them in the sun. They would salt these fishes and store them over periods as long as a year.