Traditional Fishing Tools: Bows and Arrows, Snares, and Nets

Our people—the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreille—caught fish lots of ways. In addition to lines and hooks, spears, traps, and weirs, they used bows and arrows, snares, nets, deadfalls, and trenches. To catch fish in trenches, the people would dig a small ditch or trench-off a creek and let the water run through it. While fish could swim in, there was no way for them to get out. When enough fish became trapped, the people would stand in the water and, using their hands, dip the fish out and throw them onto the bank. This was an easy way for the women to catch a lot of fish. John "Bud" Barnaby said that his Uncle, Pete Hewolf, would take him down to the Jocko River when fish were spawning, and they would snare some nice big fish. Others told of using hoops or nooses as a backup. They would use a hook and line first, and if they couldn't catch them that way, they would snare them. Bows and arrows and dip nets were also used extensively, and you can see these tools in the images below. Fish were an important source of high quality food, and the Tribes found lots of ways to catch them.

Traditional Fishing Tools:
Bows and Arrows, Snares, and Nets

Our people—the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreille—caught fish lots of ways. In addition to lines and hooks, spears, traps, and weirs, they used bows and arrows, snares, nets, deadfalls, and trenches. To catch fish in trenches, the people would dig a small ditch or trench-off a creek and let the water run through it. While fish could swim in, there was no way for them to get out. When enough fish became trapped, the people would stand in the water and, using their hands, dip the fish out and throw them onto the bank. This was an easy way for the women to catch a lot of fish. John "Bud" Barnaby said that his Uncle, Pete Hewolf, would take him down to the Jocko River when fish were spawning, and they would snare some nice big fish. Others told of using hoops or nooses as a backup. They would use a hook and line first, and if they couldn't catch them that way, they would snare them. Bows and arrows and dip nets were also used extensively, and you can see these tools in the images below. Fish were an important source of high quality food, and the Tribes found lots of ways to catch them.