Fishing gear from the ethnological collections

Lure

Brass lure with a snood made of iron wire. A strong hook is riveted to the lure with two nails, with a small piece of red cloth at the base. The dorsal side of the lure is decorated with scales.

The lure was used in Kontiolahti circa mid-19th century. K6805:1

Fishing net weight

A fishing net weight made of a sheet of birch bark. Inside the bark is a stone weight. The weight was obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland from Suomenniemi in 1926. K7087:5

Bailer

A bailer hollowed out of wood, used to remove water from a boat. The bailer was obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland from Pitkäluoto, Pyhämaa in 1928. K7144:317

Gig

The gig was used in Kangasniemi, especially for catching pike, both for gigging and catching fish from flood meadows. The gig was made in the mid-19th century and had a wooden handle. It was made by Heikki Toivakka from Kangasniemi, who was known as the blacksmith of Levä. K8070:6

Fire rack

The fire rack was attached to the bow of a boat when gigging. Other names for the fire rack are, for example, “kopra”, “parila” and “arina”. The iron holder contained flammable material, such as fatwood or birch bark. When the fire was burning, the fishermen searched for fish in the shallow water along the shore. The fish were caught by striking them with a gig and then hoisted into the boat with a net. The fire rack in the photo was used in Muonio before 1929.

Jigging rod

Jigging rod. The base of the rod is made of spruce. At the base is a housing with a movable rattan cover for a jig and a birch line reel that is attached to the rod with a wing screw. The plastic line runs through three guide loops made of iron wire from the end of the rod to the reel. The jig is a “balance jig” with a hook at each end of the lure and a three-pronged hook on the opposite side of the hanging loop. The jigging rod was obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland from Kuhmoinen in 1978. K10610

Weight of a seine

The frame for the weight of the seine is made of juniper. The ties around the stone are made of birch bark. The bark is bound together with a root. The weight has been used in the rural municipality of Kemi. K8579:5

Float

The float is surrounded by birch bark and the centre is made of rough bark. The float was used in Tuusniemi and obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland in 1949. K8692:163

Fishing hooks

Fishing hooks made of juniper. The snoods are tied to the branches of the hooks. The hooks were used to catch burbot and pike in Liperi around the middle of the 19th century. KE819

Lure and reel

The spoon-shaped lure is made of copper. The tip of the hook is long and the hook has a barb. The line that wraps around the reel has a lead weight. The reel’s shoulder is narrower at the hub than at the ends. The lure and reel were used in Uusimaa before 1876. KE330

Float of a salmon seine

The wooden float of the salmon seine bears the date 1893 and the inscription HHM. The float was used in a “kulle”, e.g. a salmon seine used in rivers. The float was obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland from Ostrobothnia. K8990:67

Gig

The gig has seven pins, six of which have a barb. The blade is made in three pieces. The gig was obtained for the collections of the Finnish National Museum from Bergö, Maalahti in 1900. KE633

Burbot hooks

Wooden burbot hooks are attached to a wooden stick or stake with linen or hemp thread. There is also a weight stone attached to the same thread. Two of the threads are missing a hook. The hooks were used in Vähäkyrö before 1903. In the early 20th century, wooden hooks were mainly used as burbot hooks. Metal, factory-made hooks were already becoming more common. KE738

Reel

A wooden reel with a hub and a simple, long-spoked frame. The handle bears the date 1793 and a wooden mark. The reel was used to make a line for a Baltic herring net. The reel was obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland from Björkö in 1905. KE752

Gathering peg for net

A gathering peg for net made of wood and birch bark from Juokslahti, Jämsä. The handle of the gathering peg bears the letters EIV. The birch bark stopper prevented the net from slipping off the peg. It also protected the user’s hand from getting wet. The gathering peg was used before 1910. KE829

Worm box

The wooden worm box was used to store fishing worms. The box was used in the village of Taipale in Liperi and obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland in 1949. KE845

Bottom fishing rod

A thin and lacquered bottom fishing rod. The rod has a brass plate and two pairs of brass hooks with a brown line wrapped around them. The rest of the line is guided through a loop at the end of the rod. At the end of the line, the rod has a fish-shaped weight, a brass wire snood and a hook that is inserted into a piece of cork attached to the side of the rod.

The bottom fishing rod was obtained for the collections of the National Museum of Finland from Saarijärvi in 1912. KE865