kw’ookw’i’ukw | Salmon Trolling

Arnold Guerin

Recorded on August 1st, 1986

Transcribed by Evangeline Guerin and Donna Gerdts 2019

  1. ’uw’ quxulh shtuhim’s kwthu ’us hul’ut ’i’ tthu ha’kwushuhw ’u kw’us kw’ookw’i’ukw.
    There were many things that you did, and many things that you used when you were trawling.
  1. yath ch ’uw’ ’iye’luw’ut tthu ’un’ spoon ’i’ tthu me’lu, yelhus hwu tsshan’tsu.
    You were always working on your spoons and bait, before you could start catching salmon.
  1. skw’ey kw’us ’uw’ hwukw’ust ’al’ ’u kws ’uwus kwlh ts’um’utum.
    You could not just simply drag them, your spoons—nothing will bite on them.
  1. ’uw’ ’i’luqulsulh tsun ’al’ ’i tthu metal,
    I just went out and bought metal,
  1. nus ’uw’ xut’eem’ ’u tthu nu flashers.
    and made my own flashers.
  1. ’uwu kw’unus ’iluqut tthu ’uw’ si’haay’ kws shwahwiyum’s.
    I didn’t buy those that were ready-made and being sold.
  1. ha’ ch thuynuhw kws hwu ts’uts’um’utewut, tthu ’uw’ ’un’ swe’ ’un’ sxut’eem’ flashers, ’us ’uw’ yath ’uw’ hwu tsshan’tsu.
    If you could get it fixed so that salmon will bite on them, those flashers that you made yourself would always be catching salmon.
  1. ’uwu te’ kwelh tl’hwuthamu.
    No one could beat you.
  1. ’i’ ha’ ch ’uw’ tetul’ ’al’ ’u tthu ha’kwushus tthu ’un’ ts’lhkw’ookw’i’ookw ’i’ ’uwu kws hiths ’i’ wulh kwe’tum ’u tthu stseelhtun.
    But if you just followed along with whatever the other fishermen were buying and using, it was not very long before the salmon would quit biting on it.
  1. stu’e ’uw’ ni’us tultulnuhwus tthu stseelhtun, suw’ hays ts’um’utus.
    It was as though the salmon got to know it; they got educated and quit biting on it.
  1. nilh wa’lu kws quxs kws nulhtuls tthu ni’ le’lum’utus ni’ ha’kwushus tthu ’un’ ts’lhkw’ookw’i’ookw.
    I guess it’s because they see too many of one kind of flasher that is being used by those that you are trawling with.
  1. ni’ ch tse’ thuynuhw tthu ’un’ me’lu, suw’ hwi’ nilhs tthu shtu’es kws xwums kw’us ’i’shul’ustuhw tthu ’un’ flashers.
    Once you get your bait working properly, then the next step is to trawl, and to drag those flashers at the proper speed that they will flash.
  1. ha’ n’an ’uw’ xwum tthun’ pout kw’us kw’ookw’i’ookw ’i’ ’uwu kw’us tsshun’tsu.
    If you are too fast with your boat, if you trawl too fast, then you don’t catch fish.
  1. ni’ nats’thut tthu ni’ s-hul’uthut-s tthun’ me’lu.
    When your bait is moving differently than before because of the speed of your boat [you don’t catch anything].
  1. ni’ ch thuynuhw tthu sxwums tthun’ pout, ’i’ hwi’ nilh tthu shtu’es kws tl’ups tthu stseelhtun.
    Now, once you get the speed of your boat right, your next problem is finding the depth that the most fish are caught at.
  1. sq’a’s kw’us sew’q’ ’u kwthu ni’ shni’s kws quxs tthu stseelhtun.
    You are always looking around to try to find where there are the most fish, and you will trawl in that area.
  1. ts’uhwle’ ’i’ 40 ’uw’ ts’uhwle’ ’i’ 50 fathoms kws tl’ups tthu stseelhtun.
    Sometimes, you will catch the salmon at 40 and 50 fathoms deep, down in the water.
  1. lhuhwulhshe’ ’i’ tus xuthunlhshe’ pawun tthu shet ha’kwushuhw yelhus tusnehw ’u thu ni’ shni’s tthu stseelhtun.
    And you will use 30-40 lbs. of lead before you reach where the salmon are.
  1. ha’ tl’up tthu ’u shni’ kw’us tstth’atth’uqwi’ suw’ 50 fathoms kw’us tl’itl’upstuhw tthun’ flashers, kws skweyuls kwus kw’ookw’i’ukw.
    Now, if you were fishing for spring salmon and the water is deep wherever you are, you will just drop your flashers down to 50 fathoms and fish that way, when it is daytime when you are trawling.
  1. ’uw’ hay ’u kws nem’s yu lhalhutsthut ’u kws hwune’unt-s, yelhs m’is p’kwuthut tthu stth’aqwi’.
    It is only when it is beginning to get dark, towards evening, that the spring salmon come up near the surface.
  1. hay tthu the’wun ’uwu kws yul’ew’s xuthunlhshe’ fathom kw’unus kwan’nuhw.
    But coho, I never got them beyond 40 fathoms in depth.
  1. yath ’uw’ tuw’ slhelhuq’ ’u kw’i tl’itl’up ’u thu qa’ kw’unus kwan’nuhw tthu the’wun.
    I always got them kind of lying down in the bottom of the sea, so I looked for depths that weren’t more than 40 fathoms to trawl in.
  1. ’uw’ hay tthu tuw’ stul’em’ ’al’ stth’ul’i’tth’kw’ shilishutum’, ni’ ’u kw’i stutes ’u tthu tumuhw ’u kw’i tl’itl’up ’u tthu qa’, ni’ s’i’lhtun’s.
    [Places] where there were only those little bugs that are swimming around, way down on the ground, underneath the water, that’s what they feed on.
  1. nilh nu swe’ulh nu shtu’e kws ’een’thusulh hwun’ kw’ookw’i’ukw.
    This is the way that I fished when I was a trawler.
  1. ha’ ch hwunin’s thu stseelhtun ’u kws ’uy’s tthu ha’kwushuhw, ’i’ tl’ulim’ ch ’uw’ tiy’a’xwnaam.
    If you should reach where there’s a lot of salmon, when your rigging is good, you will be going at full tilt.
  1. kwus ’uw’ yu tutus ’al’ tthun’ spoon ’i’ tl’uw’ wulh ts’um’utum.
    You will get to the point when you just drop your gear down to the depth, and you can immediately feel a salmon on it.
  1. ts’uhwle’ kws mukw’s tthun’ spoon ’uw’ ts’um’etum.
    Sometimes, all your spoons have salmon on them.
  1. ni’ tse’ tuw’ ’unuhw kws ts’uts’umum’s, ’i’ wulh nilh ’al’ ’us ’uw’ kw’its’ut tthu ni’ un’ shun’tsu.
    As soon as they stop biting, you get your knife, and you start to clean what you have caught.
  1. ts’uhwle’ ’i skw’ey kw’us ’ulhtunnamut ’u kws tl’ulim’s ’uw’ tiy’a’xnaam.
    There were times when you could never get a chance to eat, when you are being kept very busy.
  1. nilh shtu’es tthu skw’ooyukw tthey’.
    That is the way trawling goes.
  1. thi un’ telu ’u kws ’uy’s tthu ha’kwushuhw.
    It’s big money for you, when you use good gear.
  1. ’uwu kw’us n’an ’uw’ ’itutnamut kw’us kw’ookw’i’ukw.
    You don’t get much sleep when you are trawling.
  1. lhihw ’u tthu netulh ’i’ wulh ’umut ch, ’us ’uw’ taal nem’ ’u tthu ’ush ni’ tse’ kw’us kw’ooyukw.
    You are up at 3 o’clock in the morning, and you will go out to where you are going to trawl.
  1. ha’ ch ni’ tsshan’tsu ’i’ skw’ey kw’us lheel.
    When you are catching fish, you cannot go ashore.
  1. ni’ ch tl’umtl’um’qun kw’us kw’ookw’i’ukw.
    You will be trawling the whole day through.
  1. wulh lhatsthut tse’ yelhus lheel ’us ’uw’ nem’ t-suthut ’u tthu ’i’luqul’s.
    It’ll be only when it’s too dark that you go ashore and go up beside the buyer.
  1. ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ts’imul tahw snet yelhus hay kw’us hwahwiyum ‘u kws quxs tthu ni’ sp’ulhp’ulhiq’ ’u tthu ’i’luqul’s yuw’en’ ’utl’ nuwu.
    Sometimes, it’s near midnight before you are through selling, when there are a lot of boats tied up, lined up beside the buyer, ahead of you.
  1. ni’ ch tse’ hay kw’us hwahwiyum ’us ’uw’ hwi’ toothinum, tun’ni’ ’u tthu ni’ ’i’luqut tthun’ shun’tsu.
    When you are through selling, you will buy grub for the next day, from the place you sold your salmon to.
  1. ’uw’ hay ’un’ shhwimelu tthu ni’ ’iluqut tthun’ stseelhtun.
    That is the only store you have, the one that buys your salmon.
  1. s’ulhtun ’i’ tthu kw’ikwul’shun’ tthu hwi’ meens, ’i’ tthu kesulin.
    It’s grub and fishing gear that he sells, and your gas.
  1. wire tthun’ kw’ikwul’shun’.
    Your fishing line is a wire line.
  1. nilh tthun’ gurdies ni’ hwakw’ulhtha’mu, ’u kw’us m’i se’t ’u kw’us tsshun’tsu.
    It is your gurdies that pull up the line for you, when you lift it up, when you catch something on the line.
  1. skw’ey thulh kw’us sen’hw ’uw’ tselushum’etuhw ’al’; n’an ’uw’ hwutus.
    But you cannot lift the gear by hand; it is too heavy.
  1. nilh nu s-hul’uthutulh kw’unus hwun’ kw’ookw’i’ukwulh, tthu ni’ nu sqwul’qwul’.
    That is what I used to do when I was a trawler, as I have spoken about it.
  1. ni’ hay.
    The End
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