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Showers and thundershowers this morning, then cloudy with rain likely during the afternoon. High 52F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 37F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

An advertisement for Grunewald Fish Market, once located in Warsaw, Illinois.

An advertisement for Grunewald Fish Market, once located in Warsaw, Illinois.

In the early days of settlement along the Mississippi there has always been some form of catching fish from the river. There was little evidence of any organized commercial fishing. Some farmers apparently fished for food for their families and also peddled fish around the countryside. One early farm family that lived around three miles south of Warsaw practiced this business. Living adjacent to the river the family came to know the river well and became skilled at catching large amounts of fish after harvesting crops and planting. In 1880 during high water on the Mississippi, the levee gave way near the family home and flooded the Warsaw bottoms. After losing much in the great flood they turned to fishing and mostly gave up farming. One of the sons, Dick Bledsoe became one of the most successful commercial fishermen, as well as one of the most colorful characters in the Warsaw area. The U.S. Coast Guard navigational light, south of the Warsaw Gun Club called Bledsoe Light, bears the name of the area once known as Bledsoe Landing. The next Coast Guard light south on the Illinois shore is also named for another legendary fisherman, Henry “Daddy” Lifer. The area known as Lifers Landing was once a popular place for gatherings in which large amounts of fish were cooked. Daddy Lifer lived and spent over 50 years at this area fishing the Mississippi.

In the 1880s and 1890s demand for river fish was apparently high. The Warsaw Bulletin mentioned several times that the amount of fish shipped out of Warsaw was substantial. Many barrels of fish were shipped by rail to Chicago and by steamer to St. Louis. This huge demand caused an increase in commercial fishermen around Warsaw. Later the introduction of outboard motors gave fishermen an easier way to fish year round. Trammel nets seines could be used in open water in the fall and under the ice in winter switching to hoop nets in the spring and trot lines in the summer.

Mississippi River fishermen have always been considered a rugged breed having to endure all sorts of weather. Most could find every deep hole or dike or wing dam and knew the river much like a map which was passed down to the fishermen of today. Warsaw, like most towns along the river once supported several fish markets. There was once a local demand for fish especially during the summer months when many fish fries were common. The local taverns always had fish every Friday night usually year round. The Wallett brothers ran a market many years, as well as the Warsaw Fish Market ran by Irvin “Cicero” Hendricks. There was also the Wilcox Street Market ran by Dick Elbe, and the Grunewald Fish Market at Third and Main streets operated by Bill and Clara Grunewald. These are but a few in modem memory.

In January of 1936 the Wallett fishing crew made a substantial catch just below the dike north of the Warsaw brewery. They hauled in over 6000 pounds of perch, buffalo and carp. Melvin Wallett worked all night hauling the fish from the river to the market. Scores of persons gathered during the day at the fish market to witness the huge haul of fish. Most of the catch was prepared for shipment to Chicago. The crew who worked on bringing in the catch were Lawrence Goldman, Hubert Evermon, Carroll Cunningham and Paul Schafer. In February 1943, one of the largest catches ever was brought in below Warsaw by the Wallett crew tipping the scales at 15,000 pounds. Making the haul were Walter Wallett, Norman Wallett, Dude Lewis and Wayne Malloy. Irvin Hendricks, who usually went out with the Wallett crew bought the catch and shipped the fish to St. Louis. Two years later in January 1945, another catch was made on the dike north of the brewery by the Grunewald fish crew. The four men working the catch started pulling in fish around noon and worked into the night until they could go no more. Members of the group were Mirt Clark, Dick Smeltzer, Bert Smeltzer and Wayne Skyles.

Although the demand for river fish is not what it once was, there is still a market for the product. After all, to borrow a quote from one of the more popular writers on the subject of the great river and Mississippi River catfish, Mark Twain: “They peddle out such fish as that by the pound in the market house everybody buys some; the meat’s as white as snow and makes a good fry.

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Showers and thundershowers this morning, then cloudy with rain likely during the afternoon. High 52F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 37F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.

Sunshine along with some cloudy intervals. High 41F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.

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