"The Art of the Hunt:" A story about one that didn't get away

The Art of the Hunt: Ice Fishing

By Andrea Graham, UW Folklife Specialist

On Sunday, February 12, a group of folklore researchers and videographers accompanied Charles McCall of Cheyenne on an ice fishing trip to Crystal Reservoir in Curt Gowdy State Park. This documentation effort was part of the Art of the Hunt project being conducted by the Wyoming Arts Council’s Folk & Traditional Arts Program and the University of Wyoming’s American Studies program. We began at Charles’ house, where videographer Alan O’Hashi recorded him talking about fly tying and demonstrating the making of a fly used in ice fishing. Then we headed out on an unseasonably warm and un-windy day to the reservoir, where we helped Charles and his wife Liz set up their ice fishing hut, and watched as Charles drilled several holes with an ice auger. As Charles was fishing at a hole on the open ice, his rod suddenly bent down and he declared that he had a good-sized fish on the line. After a short battle, he pulled a four-pound, twenty-inch-long rainbow trout out of the hole for all to admire. Alan got it all on camera, and UW grad student Jessica King got some good still photos as well. Alan’s video footage will be used in support of grant requests for funding of an exhibit on The Art of the Hunt. And those of us new to ice fishing will always remember our first excursion and the dramatic catch.

Photo caption: Diana Helzer, Andrea Graham, Alan O’Hashi, Charles McCall, Liz McCall at Crystal Reservoir.