Cisco's

By Bryce Nielson, A True Character

The “Cisco Run” for 2015 is over.  As we watched the balmy days of January pass by my memory drifted back over my last 50 years of being a cisco netter.  I came over with my Dad, Rex, and his friends in 1965. In those years the general fishing season went from June-November so there was nothing to do in the winter.  No Super Bowl, no MLK holiday, no internet, just winter.  Bear Lake was open year around because since there was “no fish”, what could it hurt.  In those days is was called a “great hotel with no restaurant”.

The first issue was a net so the old man when down to the carpet store and got a bamboo stick they wrapped the carpet around.  He then fashioned an 18 inch hoop with connector and ordered some netting from Herter’s. 

The next issue was boots and clothing.  Nobody had waders so our old uninsulated hip boots, also from Herter’s and cotton socks had to do.  Gore-Tex, wind breaking fibers, duck coveralls, clothes layering or high tech underwear were years in the future.  Most of the clothing was WWII surplus.  One startling fact was that there was not any Camo (yikes!!)  

The cisco run was a big deal.  Channel 5, with Bob Welty and Paul James, it was a major topic on the evening news.  People bet on the date the cisco came in just like they do on the Super Bowl today.  As were dropped down off South Eden in the station wagon with nets on top I was struck by the hundreds of old guys (no girls) in the water and the black smoke billowing from the tire fires next to the water.  On the Beach it was chaos.  This was serious business because in those days you caught as many fish as you could and worry about the game wardens later.  The air smelled of whisky and petroleum.  Drunks were dragging themselves out of the lake after reaching just a little too far, shivering and cursing all the time.  We caught our fish and what we did with 400 cisco I have no idea.  Rex would not waste any game and it was illegal to fish with cisco so I guess we ate them.  No scones, fries or hot chocolate.

As I attended the “Cisco Disco” I was lost in thoughts of the past.  I wondered how many of the people knew what it was really like 50 years ago.  Now you do.