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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 22, 1979 - Eeling through the IceSECOND SECTION FEBRUARY 22, 1979 It's been so bitter cold outside this week that it took the fun out of any outdoor ac- tivity. Nevertheless, I decided to venture out, Besides which is a con tinual job no matter what the weather, I took on an added endeavor and went eeling through the ice. Not -loo successfully, I might add, but nonetheless worth the effort. Eels. to some, never seem to gain the respect they deserve. They're like snakes and therefore most people are against anything that wiggles and squirms. Yet both the eel and snake have their place in the natural world. Both hibernate during the winter months. Snakes, such as our garter snake, find others of their own kind and ball up together underground for their long winter. Eels. on the other hand. hibernate singly but in the same general location. That's why, when you find eels working through the ice you usually do pretty well. The trick of the game, of course, is to find where they congregate in our creeks. Cutting Hole Can Be Tricky An eeler working out on the ice is a pretty visible thing; and so when he starts getting eels it doesn't take long before he has fellow eelers all about him. It's not all that simple though. You need an ax to chop a hole in the ice, which can be anywhere from four inches to a foot thick. When it gets too thick two problems arise. The first is, you are going to need a lot of energy just to cut that hole through the deep ice. The second is when you finally cut the deep hole and your ax breaks through to the water, it immediately fills up. The problem next becomes one of cutting the remainder of--the ice with —the hole filled with water. This operation can end up being a very wet one, as I can. vouch for. - The spear you use is called a mud spear, which is designed to go over the eel on the first thrust and hoof: it when you pull the spear bade up So your thrusts are a con- tinual jabbing until you " feel" resistance then back up and out Of course, eels, aren't the only thing you will hook on to. Toad fish is a common catch. along with spider crabs and an occasional old branch, rope, can, etc. These relics on the ire are sorted over by the ever- present gulls which are always lurking around the perimeter of the area. watch t : ut For Old Holes w oir: > A armor, l .h_,f- who might go out on the ice r.fter other people have been eeling. Watch out for the newly frozen over holes thatbecome almost i invisible with a light cowering of snow 1 ;well remember walking out on Eugene's Creek years ago when a friend of mine almost disappeared having stepped on one of these thin areas. He couldn't have gone completely through the ice but he did get plenty wet and I might add. a hit shakers. it seems comical now as I think back of how, after he got out lie lay on the ice. raised his leg and let the ' . aler run out of his hip hoot. It was so cold this week that all records of low temperatures were shattered throughout our area. When I went eeling it was 'a mere 16 degrees, but seeing it was in the late afternoon with the wind still Z blowing, it felt like zero. As I finally chopped through the ice, the water splashed up on the ax handle, immediately_ freezing and making it almost impossible to hold on to. Later, when I worked the spear, it too became glazed with ice. My gloves became coated with slush ice and the cold penetrated my fingers. The cold wind made me turn my back on it. Yet there was a stimulation about the activity that's hard to explain. Perhaps it was the color of the late afternoon sun on the meadowgrass, with blue sky above and the sparkling ice beneath my feet. Once Common Winter Pursuit As I pulled an eel squirming on the spear to the surface I was glad I didn't have to make a living at this endeavor, for it seemed forever and ever before I was rewarded. Perhaps the cold was playing- its-par t. As i 1 continued to vyork, the squirming eel, now dislodged front my spear on the ice, started to slow its movements down as the cold penetrated its dark, olive - green body. Later as I looked over my shoulder the fin of the eel was frozenina wavy a y yellow line along its back and there was no motion at all. Eeling activities such as this were more common years ago amongst farmers and others during the long, idle winter months. Whether it is soft clams or hard clams, fishing or eeling through the ice, the bays and creeks will always give their bounty to those who would seek it out. Back at the car my fingers seemed to lose their ability to function as I tried to tie the long spear on top of the car. When I brought my catch into the kitchen f noticed tiie cat became inquisitive and curious, looking down into the pail. The eels had started to warm up and were now again moving about. Those who own cats know all too well the dainty paw motion of an inquisitive cat as it feels out its interests. When 1 was skinning the eels; 1 noticed their thick white laver of fat had all but diminsihed, this being their built -up reserve food supply for the long winter months in the mud. Smoked Eels Annctatng Years ago when we had hotter luck eeling we would smoke the eels, but now with my meager catch we'd have to do with fried eels tonight. Our old smoke house somewhat resembles an old outhouse, only because it was made out of some leftover wood that seemed to just fill those dimensions. We have an abundance of hickory wood on our property and it works fine for us. Apple is even better, but much harder to come by. Bluefish, progies, mackerel, sea robins, all smoked well. The natural golden color of a slab of smoked bluefish is hard to beat, and the aroma - well, it's like a perfume to those who enjoy such bounties. Smoking fish, by the way, didn't come without trial and error. One laughable ex- perience was when I acquired an old icebox years ago from my Auntie Jean. It had been in the garage as long as I can remember, but now she wanted it out. Being an opportunist I jumped at the situation, as I had read - refrigerators would make a good housing for a smokehouse. I set to redesigning it, cutting holes for the firebox, and vent holes in the top for ventilation. It had been painted on the inside and so I thought a preliminary fire to burn off the paint should be done. I started a slow fire. All went well until the small fire became a hot fire. Then destruction hit. My small fire had caught onto the excelsior that was used in those days for insulation and shortly engulfed the whole affair. Its metal sides glowed red hot and bent and twisted out of shape. By the time I got to it all I could do was watch it horn. I checiced off that ex- perimental smokehouse as a complete disaster, but patience is a virtue and to I rebuilt me own. lro this clay it has worked perfectly. filling the air down in the pasture v:itli these never- to-be- fo' rgotton rich odors of hickory wood and smoked fish. H CMS ROBES FOR ALL SEASO 1S AVAILABLEp NOW TO ORDER Discounts Available Also MPJ YANNE McELROY'S Religious Supply Center 3941 Peconic Ave.. R verhead 3692255 0 369-2258 Jlon Thurs 10 5 F•• +n. 9 Sat. 9 by 308 MAIN SO 00REEr-:000 OPEN DAILY '0 5 -3 5 While waiting_ for the thaw y Why not read~ J.R. R. TOLKIEN'S S1LM R I ION NOW IN PAPERBACK!!! 15 Hope our friends at G.P. Putnam' s overcome their warehouse disaster— fortunately for our friends on the North Fork we put in an early supply of PETER STRAUB' S GHOST STORY And ROBERT LUDLUM' S THE MATARESE CIRCLE As of 2/20 we had the only copies of Bob's Book ill all Suffolk Cotnttyrr) 51 Phone Orders On I,c -- Visa and .