The Plentiful Lake

The Plentiful Lake. . Just as you may have come to fish these waters today, so have native people for thousands of years. Natives of the Tahoe Sierra fished the waters from Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake for food. Depending on the season, they pulled Lahonton Cutthroat, Mountain Whitefish, Tui Chub, Cui Ui fish and many others from the productive waters. They took care to keep all the fish species plentiful., The simplest gathering method was to club large fish in shallow water. They also spun fishing line from local plant fibers, used sharpened bone-sliver gorges, and worms, minnows, or fish eggs for bait. Basket making skills came into use to create dip and lift nets for capturing adult fish and small fry. Natives even recycled worn basket trays as fish scoops. Other capture methods incuded gill nets anchored by stone weights. Stone traps and stick weirs also guided fish into a confined space, where a two-pronged willow branch served as a spear., They split, boned and dried their fish whole on scaffolds, shrubs, trees, in baskets or over fires, then strung them in great willow-bound bundles. The natives of the Tahoe Sierra also ate broiled fresh fish. Minnows and fish eggs were dried, milled in metates or mortars, and mixed with seed or flour for high protein flatbread.