The fish trap, the most common method used for catching salmon, was quite simple in theory. One variety was a wooden fence stretched across a stream or river, preferably at a rapids. Salmon swimming upstream passed through the openings and into specially woven baskets placed there by the fishermen. Another trap consisted of rows of posts placed closely together across a stream. These posts hampered the salmon on their upstream journey and allowed fishermen to spear them from wooden platforms.

Used in conjunction with the fish trap or when fishing from a canoe, the salmon spear was an 11' to 16' shaft topped with a barbed iron [originally bone] point attached with a leather thong. When a salmon was struck with a spear, the point detached itself from the shaft, allowing the fish to thrash without breaking the spear shaft.

A relatively primitive means for catching salmon, the salmon hook was commonly used from the shore or a canoe in shallow water. It was a long pole with an iron hook pulled through the water using a raking motion. Obviously, it was most successful in streams congested with salmon.

The gill net, another traditional method for catching salmon, is very important today. A net with mesh designed to trap the fish by its gills was strung vertically across a stream like a curtain.

Salmon were usually dried, flesh side out, on a framework, out of doors if protected from the elements, or in a special smokehouse. Once dried, fish were stacked, tied in bundles and often stored in bentwood boxes for later use. When the winter supply was complete, remaining salmon were rendered into oil.

Often mispronounced "hooligan", these fish were caught with an eulachon net; a handheld sinew dip net made by the women. (Two eulachon nets are on display at the Sheldon Museum, an old sinew net and a commercial net.) With the introduction of iron, a rake was designed for gathering eulachon. A long pole with iron spikes was propelled through the water like a sculling oar. It impaled the eulachon which were then thrown into the boat. Fish traps, similar to those used for catching salmon but with a small mesh, were also used for eulachon fishing.

The fish were allowed to ripen 10-14 days in a canoe half buried in sand. The canoe was then filled with water and scalding stones heated in a nearby fire. As the steaming mixture was stirred, oil rose to the top and was skimmed with large spoons. Residue was further pressed through woven baskets to reclaim all the precious oil. A container or pit later replaced the canoe, but the process remains the same to this day.

So highly prized was this clear oil used for seasoning and preserving, that it became an important trade item with Athabascan Indians in the Interior. Trade trails from the coast inland became known as "grease trails."

Eulachon were also eaten dried, smoked or fresh, and were widely used as candles because of their high fat content.

Eulachon drying on rack.

Soldier showing off a medium sized halibut.

Halibut reach gigantic proportions in local waters. To insure a manageable size catch, Tlingit fisherman devised a special halibut hook which would only be taken by a 30-50 pound fish. A large fish could sink a canoe. Moreover, this medium range halibut was considered superior for drying.

The wooden halibut hook was a V-shaped affair with an obliquely set iron nail and the wood was usually carved with symbolic figures, often heraldic or associated with the Shaman, such as the skeleton, devilfish and land otter.

Hooks were usually baited with fish and lowered with a line of red cedar fiber, braided sinew or the strong stem of a giant kelp. Stone sinkers carried the line to the bottom and wooden floats carved in animal forms alerted the fishermen to a bite. The entire assembly was kept afloat with inflated bladders, allowing the fisherman to set several lines at once. Halibut were eaten fresh or dried.