12
Friday, May 7, 1976
University Daily Kansan
100 feet of net is easily tangled when making a haul. It must be neatly folded before being laid.
Steve Voskocy has been a friend of the Missouri River for 71 years.
He was born in Leavenworth in 1900 only one block from the river. By the age of five, he had developed an interest in the Missouri and in fishing.
"By the time I was nine years old," he said, "I couldn't stand to school. I had
At that time, Viscocsa's fishing was limited. Too young to afford a boat, he usually spent his days on the river bank to catch fish. That changed when that he became serious about fishing.
That was the year that a commercial fisherman came to Leavenworth to work Miss Maya and her set, he put his nets and throw-lines, he noticed young Vislosky on the bank. The fisherman needed a helper, and Vislosky was more than willing to have a chance to meet him.
Viscocky left home at 10 to work full-time with the fisherman. For two years, his job was to keep bait on the lines and to check them periodically. It was during one of those checks that he had one of the few frightening experiences on the river.
"I went over to run the lines," he said,
"and I could see that there was a big fish on
on there. When the fish came up, he scared me."
Those two years with the fisherman,
however, made Visuals decide that the
fish was good.
Vissocsky said the fish was a four-foot-long carp, whose weight was about 80 pounds.
"That's what gave me the real idea about fishing," he said. "That's what put
"I grabbed hold of the line to bring him in and he took me and the boat right on up the river like it was nothing," he said. "I had to cut him and the line loose."
everything in me. It made me want to get a boat and go fishing by myself."
Vincisco left Leavenworth in 1912, going to Nebraska with his family. He lived there 11 years. When he returned to Leavenworth, he started a commercial fishing operation.
"Iwas younger then and we used to make 400- or 500-pound hauls," he said. "I'd catch 'em, and my wife would help clean and dress 'em out."
The majority of his catch consisted of carp and buffalo. His catch today is similar, but an average day now yields only about 30 pounds of fish. He attribues this drop to increased competition on the river and his age.
"it used to be able to make a living at it
("iused"), how? But now, when I catch a
fish," I don't. "It just happens."
The net is anchored to the bank and fed into the water from the bow of the boat. Laid in a circular pattern it crosses the channel before the channel. Net can be used only behind dikes or jetties where the current is weak.
Most of his competitors are in their 30s or early 40s, he said.
"They can get up early in cold weather," he said. "By the time I get out there, they've got all the fish cleaned and all I get is water."
The fish, he explained, stay behind dikes where the current isn't as strong as in the river. Once an area has been fished, the fish won't go back to it for some time.
Viscose sells live carp for 20 cents a pound and buffalo for 25 cents. Most of his customers buy only a few dollars worth of viscose, but Viscose is able to make a profit.
"My social security (check) 'nin't big enough. That's why I'm not do it too well if I dare make mistakes."
The profit is only secondary to Viscossy now. He fishes because it's a way of life.
"I love to fish," he said. "Commercial or sport, and I will keep on fishing until I can't fish."
Photos and story by Dave Crenshaw
Although the river was high, the fishing was good. About 50 pounds of carp and buffalo were netted.
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