Fish were a major source of meat for Native Americans all year
round. One way that the Native Americans caught fish was with spears. Spear
fishing was considered a mans job while fishing with a hook and string was
usually a woman's job. Spear fishing was usually done in the winter or spring
time.
In the winter they would cut a small hole in the ice on the lake or pond and and lower in a wooden lure that resembled either a minnow or a frog or some other little water creature. They would usually lay on their stomachs with a blanket over their head and the hole to see through the ice better. The spears they used were made out of either bone or copper attached to a wooden shaft. That type of spears was used for bigger fish. For catching smaller fish they usually used a trident (a three pronged tip) that would catch the fish either on a point or between the points.
In the spring after the ice had thawed they would take out canoes and fish from them. Fishing at night was common by the light of a torch which made it easier to spot fish under water. They would stand up in the canoe and wait for a fish to come then they would stab down at the fish.