WEBVTT 00:00:08.633 --> 00:00:11.845 My name is Jim Blackned, I’m from Nemaska. 00:00:11.845 --> 00:00:23.732 What I am going to work on is called the nightline, which are fishing rods. 00:00:25.108 --> 00:00:30.989 While I’m seated here, I’ll make one nightline. 00:00:30.989 --> 00:00:44.461 A long time ago our ancestors survived by using nightlines, this was before having the gillnet. 00:00:44.461 --> 00:00:57.807 They made the nightline and survived on the fish they caught. 00:00:57.807 --> 00:01:01.394 Nightlines were all made in different styles. 00:01:01.394 --> 00:01:10.195 A long time ago, they’d use animal bones and attach it, 00:01:10.612 --> 00:01:15.825 this included using beaver teeth. 00:01:15.825 --> 00:01:22.749 These days, nightlines look like this. 00:01:23.166 --> 00:01:33.301 I make nightlines like this. 00:01:33.301 --> 00:01:41.392 A long time ago, they’d use a stick and tie an animal bone, moosehide 00:01:41.392 --> 00:01:46.689 and wrap it around using a rope. 00:01:46.689 --> 00:01:55.907 These days, I make my nightlines like this because the lifestyle is really different. 00:01:55.907 --> 00:01:59.494 The hooks were made by whitemen. 00:01:59.494 --> 00:02:06.251 When I make mine, I use an animal bone that’s pointy. 00:02:06.251 --> 00:02:13.091 I’ll now carve the stick for the nightline and try to do it fast. 00:02:14.050 --> 00:02:27.647 Whenever I make this, I use white birch or other twigs. 00:02:27.647 --> 00:02:29.399 I’ll need to carve it well. 00:02:29.399 --> 00:02:39.742 It will need to be flat on one side because our hook will be attached there. 00:02:42.245 --> 00:02:47.667 Once I complete it, I’ll need to fix this part and make it better. 00:02:47.667 --> 00:02:53.715 I can’t rush when doing this. 00:02:53.715 --> 00:02:59.220 This side is good enough. 00:03:00.638 --> 00:03:05.393 These days, there are many tools that can be used. 00:03:05.393 --> 00:03:11.399 A while back our people didn’t have what I’m using when making these. I’ll flatten over here a bit and I’ll carve it over on this side. 00:03:12.025 --> 00:03:17.071 I’ll flatten over here a bit and I’ll carve it over on this side. 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:23.494 People make them differently because there isn’t only one way to do so. 00:03:23.494 --> 00:03:30.168 I make them like this, others don’t use a stick for this part 00:03:30.376 --> 00:03:35.340 and others use the moosehide and hook just like this. 00:03:35.340 --> 00:03:38.718 Then they attach their bait on it. 00:03:38.718 --> 00:03:43.806 It depends on how a person makes them, but for myself, I make nightlines like this 00:03:43.806 --> 00:03:46.851 because that’s how I was taught. 00:03:46.851 --> 00:03:49.145 I’ll now try to finish it over on this side, 00:03:49.145 --> 00:03:53.066 but I’ll need to know how big my hook is because hooks vary in size. 00:03:54.275 --> 00:03:58.404 It’s tied more over here and I’ll cut it over here. 00:04:12.377 --> 00:04:15.546 And cut it like so. 00:04:37.193 --> 00:04:39.862 So over here, you attach it like so. 00:04:40.488 --> 00:04:45.159 I’ll first need to attach the moosehide. 00:04:45.827 --> 00:04:52.917 These hooks are sold in hunting stores and vary in size. 00:04:54.168 --> 00:05:00.800 Depending on what fish size you want to catch, you’ll know which one to get. 00:05:03.553 --> 00:05:16.691 This is called a leader and I’m going to attach it on the hook. 00:05:21.487 --> 00:05:27.160 My late grandfather taught me this, he made it differently while he taught me. 00:05:27.410 --> 00:05:35.960 He only used moosehide, a stick and wiring snare. 00:05:36.419 --> 00:05:41.341 He taught me to make it that way. 00:05:43.676 --> 00:05:50.516 My late grandfather and my dad lived off from the fish they caught. 00:05:50.516 --> 00:05:56.189 They were hunters, they’d always go hunting. 00:05:56.689 --> 00:06:02.528 I’ll now attach this, cut it up again. 00:06:05.615 --> 00:06:18.711 This is my leader, the hole I made here will be used for tying up my rope. 00:06:18.711 --> 00:06:28.763 I’ll be using this rope for my nightline. 00:06:28.763 --> 00:06:36.646 The rope looks like this, 00:06:36.646 --> 00:06:41.984 this is my fishline and this is my hook. 00:06:43.611 --> 00:06:51.494 One I finish making the nightline, I’ll show you how to set it up out there. 00:06:51.494 --> 00:06:54.580 We’re now almost done, we just need to tie it up. 00:06:54.580 --> 00:07:02.422 I’ll leave it like this because this is a bit awkward to tie together. 00:07:04.966 --> 00:07:10.721 So, I guess we’ll be using this rope. 00:07:11.848 --> 00:07:21.524 I’ll only need to wrap the rope around the hook like so. 00:07:22.900 --> 00:07:32.285 It isn’t really working out, so now I’ll have to cut it again. 00:07:32.285 --> 00:07:34.412 I’m going to do it like this. 00:07:44.046 --> 00:07:46.799 I’ll now cut the rope. 00:07:49.844 --> 00:07:53.848 It’s really up to you on how much you want to cut it. 00:07:53.848 --> 00:07:57.226 You do it which way you're comfortable with. 00:08:01.105 --> 00:08:06.152 You pull the rope to tighten it and now it’s securely tied. 00:08:12.700 --> 00:08:16.871 The lake is called Champion Lake, 00:08:16.871 --> 00:08:28.758 whenever I set up my nightlines, I set them up near the shore and catch northern pike. 00:08:28.758 --> 00:08:35.139 I’m afraid of the ones located up the mountain, it’s where the bigger speckled trout are. 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:47.109 When I check my nightlines, it takes me a whole day 00:08:48.152 --> 00:08:51.155 because I want to catch fish. 00:08:51.155 --> 00:08:59.163 When I use a hook this size, I catch big ones, small ones, I catch different sizes. 00:09:00.498 --> 00:09:03.709 I use bigger hooks so I can catch the bigger ones 00:09:03.709 --> 00:09:08.839 and sometimes they’re so big that I have to drag them. 00:09:10.299 --> 00:09:17.056 I cut the rope about this length and leave out this much. 00:09:17.056 --> 00:09:23.354 I tie it over on this side and tie it up differently over on this side. 00:09:27.525 --> 00:09:39.537 I put the rope over the hook, I pull it and it tightens. 00:09:40.329 --> 00:09:46.043 You see, on this side, I tighten it and the remaining rope is left like so, 00:09:46.043 --> 00:09:50.840 so that I can tie up my bait with it. 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:55.928 A small fish won’t be able to nibble it off. 00:09:55.928 --> 00:10:04.770 For my leader, I’ll attach it to our fishing line. 00:10:07.064 --> 00:10:17.074 This fishing line works very well, you only have to tie it up like this. 00:10:17.074 --> 00:10:22.413 Anyone can make their nightline however they want. 00:10:22.413 --> 00:10:35.051 When I first taught myself how to... 00:10:35.051 --> 00:10:44.018 Now look at this, this here is my line and this here is my hook. 00:10:44.143 --> 00:10:47.396 For now, I’ll wrap it up and tie it around. 00:10:47.396 --> 00:10:52.109 I’ll attach my bait outside, I’ll do it over the ice. 00:10:52.276 --> 00:10:58.491 But, I’ll show you how to cut up the fish. 00:10:58.491 --> 00:11:06.374 Whenever using nightline, I will use any type of fish as bait, I’ll use northern pike 00:11:08.918 --> 00:11:14.507 and the white and red sucker fish. 00:11:14.507 --> 00:11:20.805 All the fish types eat each other. 00:11:20.805 --> 00:11:26.060 You see my rope here, it’s going to look like this. 00:11:28.062 --> 00:11:38.698 Now that I’ve completed making the nightline, I’m ready to set it up. 00:11:38.698 --> 00:11:47.373 When it’s done, it’ll look like this. 00:11:47.915 --> 00:11:50.501 It’s called a nightline. 00:11:50.501 --> 00:11:56.632 All of them look different and the hooks vary in size, some are big and some are small. 00:11:56.632 --> 00:12:00.886 You can catch all sizes of fish. 00:12:00.886 --> 00:12:04.098 If you’d like to catch bigger ones, you use bigger hooks. 00:12:04.098 --> 00:12:07.810 This here is the right size for a small fish. 00:12:07.810 --> 00:12:14.942 Once you're done making a nightline, it's going to look like this and now we're going to set it up, 00:12:14.942 --> 00:12:18.446 but I will put this away for now. 00:12:18.654 --> 00:12:27.288 I froze up my bait and I’ll need to thaw it. 00:12:27.288 --> 00:12:37.673 I’ll be using this fish as my bait and I don't know if you’re familiar with this one, 00:12:40.760 --> 00:12:42.636 it’s called a red sucker fish. 00:12:43.137 --> 00:12:45.806 When I went with the elders, 00:12:45.806 --> 00:12:52.313 they would use this as bait to catch northern pike and it’s what I want to catch. 00:12:52.313 --> 00:12:55.733 I’ll cut it into a small piece for one nightline 00:12:57.067 --> 00:13:06.994 because I don’t have enough time to set up all my nightlines. 00:13:13.375 --> 00:13:15.753 So, I’ll be using this as bait. 00:13:15.753 --> 00:13:25.721 I’ll cut it in half again. It’s up to you how big a piece you want your bait to be. 00:13:27.097 --> 00:13:34.438 You’ll then be able to attach it on the hook for bait. 00:13:34.438 --> 00:13:38.609 I’ll show you how to attach it outside. 00:13:46.158 --> 00:13:49.662 I’ll now shovel the snow away. 00:13:54.708 --> 00:13:57.294 You scoop the ice slowly. 00:14:06.303 --> 00:14:08.931 You’ll need to scoop all of it away. 00:14:10.516 --> 00:14:18.232 I’m using a strainer to scoop all of the ice away 00:14:22.319 --> 00:14:28.284 so that we can set up our nightline. 00:14:28.284 --> 00:14:31.412 I’ll try placing it all in one area. 00:14:31.412 --> 00:14:39.587 I’ll try to place it in one area, so that it can harden and have the stick in place. 00:14:40.838 --> 00:14:48.012 When I use a nightline, I was told to set it up facing toward the sunrise. 00:14:49.013 --> 00:15:00.441 I’m about to finish, all the remaining ice is cleared up and now I can start setting up my nightline. 00:15:01.734 --> 00:15:05.571 There isn’t any ice around the fishing hole. 00:15:05.571 --> 00:15:13.495 I’ll be using this stick for the nightline, I’ll attach it together to… 00:15:18.375 --> 00:15:26.967 The nightline is going to be tied up like this and this is my fishing rod. 00:15:27.551 --> 00:15:32.598 This is white birch, or is it tamarack? 00:15:33.098 --> 00:15:44.568 I use a branch like this so that it can lock it from moving around. 00:15:46.654 --> 00:15:49.323 You’ll attach it on your nightline. 00:15:49.657 --> 00:15:56.038 I’ll now attach the nightline to it. 00:15:56.413 --> 00:15:59.416 I know the depth of this spot. 00:16:00.084 --> 00:16:06.507 You need to prevent your hook from touching the bottom. Don’t let it touch the bottom. 00:16:06.507 --> 00:16:14.515 Set it up so that it’s above this much. 00:16:15.808 --> 00:16:21.313 It should float underwater and not touch the bottom. 00:16:23.482 --> 00:16:28.570 The rope I’m using will be used to attach the bait. 00:16:28.570 --> 00:16:32.366 This is the piece that I cut up. 00:16:33.575 --> 00:16:37.663 So, we now tie it on the hook. 00:16:42.001 --> 00:16:44.211 It’s dried up. 00:16:46.964 --> 00:16:49.925 This spot is shallow. 00:16:50.676 --> 00:16:52.886 I tie it all around. 00:16:53.345 --> 00:17:04.857 I leave this much rope and tie the remainder on this side of our stick. 00:17:04.857 --> 00:17:11.238 I already know the thickness of the ice. 00:17:11.238 --> 00:17:20.372 It will be around this thick and this part will be below the ice. 00:17:20.372 --> 00:17:25.002 If the fish breaks this stick, it cannot break the rope. 00:17:25.002 --> 00:17:34.011 So, the depth will be around here. 00:17:34.887 --> 00:17:37.014 This spot isn’t too deep. 00:17:38.057 --> 00:17:42.853 The way you tie it is by doing it this way. 00:17:42.853 --> 00:17:48.776 It’s not tied like that for good, because you will use it again for another stop. 00:17:48.776 --> 00:17:54.198 The rope is left like that, you just tie it around. 00:17:57.743 --> 00:18:06.418 This spot where I’m setting up my nightline isn’t deep at all. 00:18:06.543 --> 00:18:08.378 So, it will look like this. 00:18:08.378 --> 00:18:13.550 Once the fish bites the hook, this will untie, 00:18:13.550 --> 00:18:20.933 but the stick will stop it from moving and it won't swim any further. 00:18:20.933 --> 00:18:26.480 So now I’ll set up our fishing hook, our nightline. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:36.657 We are using a white sucker fish as bait, it cannot touch the bottom, it’s has to float above it. 00:18:37.324 --> 00:18:41.370 The rope isn’t heavy, but it will still float up not touching below. 00:18:41.370 --> 00:18:44.540 It’s going to sink, but it will not touch the bottom. 00:18:44.540 --> 00:18:52.422 What’s happening here is because the hook isn’t heavy enough. 00:18:52.422 --> 00:18:58.053 So we're going to finish it by hanging the stick like so. 00:18:58.053 --> 00:19:05.185 It will stand like so and look like this. 00:19:05.185 --> 00:19:21.118 And for this here, I’ll tie it over the stick so that a dog or another animal can’t run away with it. 00:19:21.118 --> 00:19:27.583 One time it happened where a dog or an animal ran away with the nightline. 00:19:27.583 --> 00:19:30.002 So, once it’s complete it will look like this. 00:19:30.002 --> 00:19:33.630 Our hook is in the water, but floats off the bottom about this much. 00:19:33.630 --> 00:19:41.138 So when the northern pike swims by it, it bites it and it won’t be able to pull this away because it’s sturdy. 00:19:41.597 --> 00:19:49.897 And for our cave, you’ll always need to cover it with snow so that it won’t be frozen solid, 00:19:49.897 --> 00:19:59.948 so that it will be easier for you to check up your nightline. 00:19:59.948 --> 00:20:07.206 Sometimes, you catch the fish right away but it all depends on if you think you caught a fish. 00:20:07.497 --> 00:20:12.127 You’ll need to cover the whole thing and you’ll use white snow. 00:20:12.127 --> 00:20:21.553 If you cover it a lot, the ice won’t be frozen solid. 00:20:22.971 --> 00:20:26.725 I’m using a snow shovel. 00:20:27.476 --> 00:20:32.022 A long time ago, our elders made these snow shovels. 00:20:32.022 --> 00:20:37.653 So you set it up like that. When you come back to check it, it won’t be frozen solid. 00:20:37.653 --> 00:20:40.906 All you need to use is your snow shovel and an ice chisel. 00:20:40.906 --> 00:20:50.457 If you place more snow, it’s going to be easier for you because it won’t be frozen solid. 00:20:55.128 --> 00:20:58.590 I’m going to leave it like that. 00:20:58.590 --> 00:21:04.179 That’s it, I’ll come back here and check it out in 2 days. 00:21:04.179 --> 00:21:09.184 A long time ago, this is what our grandfather used to do, they used the nightline. 00:21:09.184 --> 00:21:16.191 Before there were gillnets, they used the nightline and survived and this is how they set up the fishing rod. 00:21:16.191 --> 00:21:20.404 So this is how to set up a nightline.