I started fishing with my father in 1939 when l was 11 years old, and 
     
     l have fished off Boughton Island’s shores every year since then. I am 
     
     about the same age now as many of the men | fished with back then, 
     
     and now fish with their grandsons (the third generation) and my sons. 
     
    

    
     I began fishing with my father in a 14 foot dory. There were still 
     
     quite a few who fished in rowing dories at that time, one man to a dory. 
     
     I recall Freeman Millar, George 
     
     Kemp, Jimmy O’Connor and later 
     
     on, Arnold O’Connor. Dories were 
     
     kept on the East side of the Island 
     
     near deep water, and the traps 
     
     were on the North side near the 
     
     factories. One of my first jobs was 
     
     to haul the traps to the east side, 
     
     using a horse and drag sleigh. 
     
    
   
   
    
     l have seen many changes 
     
     over the years in the way things 
     
     were done. The largest boat at the 
     
     time would be about 28 feet long, 
     
     and powered by a 5 horsepower 
     
     engine. You would not use more 
     
     than 50 or 60 gallons of gas for 
     
     the entire two month fishing season. There was no trap limit but very 
     
     few fished over three hundred. Traps were not loaded on boats the way 
     
     they are today for the opening of the season, and there was no “dog 
     
     trawls” (lines of 5 and 6 traps) like they fish today. On opening day the 
     
     boats would be loaded with lines of rope long enough to hold 50 traps. 
     
     An anchor and buoy would be tied on both ends of the line. The traps 
     
     would be tied on to the rope after the lines were run. Once you ran your 
     
     lines, this was your ground for the rest of the fishing season. 
     
    

    
     There was no sounders to help find the rock bottom as there are 
     
     today. To make sure you were on rock, a “lead line" would be used. 
     
     Hard grease was put on the lead, and the line dropped to the bottom. 
     
     If you were on rock, the grease would come up clean with dent marks. 
     
     Sand or mud would stick to the grease if you were not on good rock. 
     
     Your fishing ground was found by taking marks off the land: a tree over 
     
     a house, a lighthouse by a point of land, a hardwood grove over a tall 
     
    
   
   
    
     tree, or whatever. A compass was the only means of navigation and 
     
     66 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Ive Hairy and Mrs. Allen