Description:
Wrought iron salmon gig, a trap composed of a hinged head fitted with three teeth and a pair of springs locked by a hinged support in the mouth, which is released by the weight of the fish's body. All are riveted to an octagonal wrought iron shaft with a tapered opening at the end to receive a long pole (lost). Found in Winchester, New Hampshire, this trap was thrust into the ware at the end of a long pole to capture the exhausted salmon or shad when they spawned each spring. The salmon gig is a rare 18th-century artifact that illustrates the advanced work of a blacksmith and the business of harvesting fish in the Connecticut River during the spring salmon run.

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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+94.012.1

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