HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

LIBRARY

MUSEUM or OOMPAKATIVE ZOOLOGY.

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rHIS Edition^ printed on
Hand Made Paper, is
limited to Three Hundred
and Fifty Copies, of which this
is Number ^..X.i?

FOREST, LAKE
AND RIVER

VOLUME ONE

F

ORi r.AKE

A N D K E R

The Fn g-.

land ^ tLu n Canada

^\ ..

F R A N M . JOHNSON

yoLUME ONE

BOSTON

: N T E D FOR

S I I >S C R I B E R S M D C C C C I I

The Atlantic Salmon. Salmo salar

Painted with the especial p.urpose of showing, not only the silvery sheen,
but also the glowing coloring alone seen late in September and October

tSiW OwWj .VrOM.TA? 'ITT'

isdoJoO hnr. ladrnaJqaS ni sJbI nssa anoU gniioloo gnrwolg 9ffj oalc }i(cf

F

OREST, LAKE

1 1' /

AND RIVER

The Fishes of New Eng-
land &^ Eastern Canada

By
FRANK M. JOHNSON

VOLUME ONE

BOSTON • PRINTED FOR
SUBSCRIBERS • MDCCCCII

^u,

Copyright^ igoiy by
Frank M. Johnson

All rights reser-ved

MCZ LIBRARY
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
CAMBRIDGE. MA USA

UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON
AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.

13 fToast

GENTLEMEN
"TO MY FELLOW SPORTSMEN

CONTENTS

VOLUME ONE

Page

Preface xvii

^:^<5^c^^^Ux^

Introduction . . . Ly(y^ «C-7 V»--^/5^/r^nu7 xxiii

The Salmons i

The Sea-Salmon and its Landlocked Congener . ii

The Salmon of the Pool 23

My First Experience with a Salmon 25

Salmon Fishing . ^£^6^^^^/^ X^Ifez^^^ 31

Salmon Suggestions 45

The Troll of the Landlocked Salmon .... 55

The Kill of a King 57

To a Leaping Ouananiche ......... 65

ix

CONTENTS

Page

The Ouananiche

The Trouts of New England and Canada ... 93

To A Trout 115

The Trout of Mountain Streams 117

The Runaway's Summons » . . 125

The Anadromous Trout . 127

Salters or Brook-Trout
that Seek the Salt
Water 'i AC-^/^^^-v,/--*^:— «-"— ^-«i— -^ 133

The Aureolus T .... 147

American Saibling or Golden Trout

^^^^-Claa^.^^^

^^•4-^ €€ "C^.ttA^'^^aL^ \,

[49

The Veiled Aurora 159

The Dublin Pond Trout

f^/ tX^f*^^^ . 161

Song of the Leaping Trout 167

The Rainbow Trout 169

The Stranger 175

X

CONTENTS

Page

The German or Brown Trout 177

A Song of Scotland 183

Loch Leven Trout

^J^^k^^C-M.^^^^

The Togue's Remarks 201

A Laker or the Quick and the Dead .... 203

Angling IN Can- /' ^ ^3^_^!!l-^ //

ADi AN Waters 0 ^ V t hJ'^^^^ytuctx^^^M^ ^^3

TAKETHeFlY /^^-^ Vr<\r..^ J^ClXJL^^^^I

Fly Fishing and the Reasons Why

9fe Ji_>JJvsL>N5 — ^& . c:^j<Jli5->o.j&~-*N .- 255

A Few Facts and Fancies 263

u,u/j^xLa^UJly 271

Among the Trout of the
Kennebec

The Graylings 281

The Standard Bearer 287

The Grayling of America 289

^. ^.^^fuZ^TU^S^

A Mountain Maid <---^ Z/y .i/ry^TZr^ .VX^J^-^ 295

XI

LIST OF

ILL USTRjriONS

The Atlantic Salmon Frontispiece

Figure of a Fish, showing the location of parts

usually referred to in descriptions .

Cisco or Lake Herring

Rocky Mountain Whitefish

The Sea Salmon

" Yet here the gamy salmon seeks a home " .

Salmon Flies

" Trolls, now, are cast on either hand "

"Where vapors rise to veil the rushing, crush-
ing waves that seethe"

Ouananiche

Red-spotted Trout

The Cut-throat Trout

European Saibling

Fa

ngpage XXVHl

2

2

12

22

32

54

64
68

94
94
94

Xlll

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Steel-head Trout Facing page 94

Sunapee Trout " " 94

The Blueback Trout " "94

The Arctic Trout " " 94

Dolly Varden Trout " "94

"A rainbow smiled when thou wert born" . . " "114

" The brook with its lulling music and its mantles

of softer foam" " "124

The Aureolus of Summer " " 146

" Invasion of thy home " " "158

The Dublin Pond Trout " "162

"Sing on, wild winds, amid the pine! Wild

waters, onward race ! " " "166

The Rainbow Trout " "170

"To crystal pool there came a stranger fish" . " " 174

Brown or German Trout " "178

The Loch Leven Trout " "182

The Togue's Remarks "201

The Togue Facing " 204

Trout Flies " " 242

The Montana Grayling " "282

The Michigan Grayling " " 282

" As the ice peaks that towered overhead " . . " " 286

Dorsal Fin of Michigan Grayling " " 288

The Maid of the Mountain " " 296

xiv

LIST OF

COLORED REPRODUCTIONS

CONrJINED IN "THE
PORTFOLIO

I. The Eastern Brook, or Red-Spotted Trout (Sa/ve/inus
fontinalh\ considered as if viewed in an aquarium.

II. The Pickerel {Lucius reticulatus).

III. The Dublin Pond Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis agassizii).

IV. The Lake Trout, or Togue {Cristivomer namaycush).

V. The Sunapee Trout {Salvelinus alpinus aureolus)^ in No-
vember coloring.

VI. The Yellow Perch {Perca Jiavescens).

VII. The Landlocked Salmon {Salmo salar sebago)^ taken in
November.

VIII. The German, or Brown Trout {Salmo far io).

IX. The Small-mouthed Black Bass {Micropterus dolomieu).
See Black Bass of the Rainbow.

X. The Montana Grayling {Thymallus tricolor montanus).

XL The Rainbow Trout {Salmo irideus shasta).

XII. The Pike Perch {Stizostedion vitreum).

PREFACE

" Carpe diem^ quam minimum credula postero "

T may be well at the beginning to set forth

the motive which inspired the present work,

in which I have endeavored to depict by pen

and brush the ineffable charm of Nature and

the beauty which she everywhere bestows with

lavish hand.

From boyhood an ardent lover of the treasures
of glade and woodland, I have, in the all-too-short
intervals allowed between attention to more pro-
saic duties, devoted myself to the capture and
study of the finny specimens of life existing be-
neath the surface of fresh-water lakes and streams,
and of those found in old Ocean, whose mys-
terious alchemy adds to his denizens increase of
strength, power, and size, and that marvellous
brilliancy which is ever to be found within the
realm of Neptune.

My efforts have been directed towards gathering
all the information possible to obtain regarding the
fishes that inhabit the fresh and brackish waters of
New England and Eastern Canada, and to present
in book form to my fellow-anglers, in the most

xvii

PREFACE

attractive way, the results of my labor and
research.

In addition to this, it has been my endeavor to
awaken an interest in the transplanted charrs or
the trouts, which, in the near future, may be
expected to inhabit many of our lakes and
streams to which they are well adapted, and
where they will, doubtless, add variety to the
sport of angling, owing to the excellence of their
game-like characteristics. The large reproductions
of the oil paintings which accompany this work
will, if closely examined, show clearly the marked
differences of these charrs, while in the mono-
graphs, the details are discussed minutely.

It is impossible to guard absolutely against cer-
tain differences of opinion which are apt to arise
among my readers and fellow-sportsmen. Fish
that are typical of the territory covered, have been
chosen for the purpose of illustrating, and it is ob-
viously impossible that such selection should be
made so that the coloration would appeal to every
rodsman as exactly correct, for this factor is de-
pendent upon many varying circumstances. This
is peculiarly true of such species, for instance, as
the trouts.

If, in the hearts of those who read these pages,
I can re-awaken old, but never-to-be-forgotten

xviii

PREFACE

memories, and again suggest the thrill that accom-
panies the whirring song of the reel, if the per-
fume of the forest can be made almost actual in
the imagination, and for the moment all cares,
worries, and disappointments be cast aside, I shall
rest content. It has been my aim to lead you
back to the rushing river, the liquid murmuring
and crystal flashing of the mountain brook, or the
peaceful surface of lake and pond stirred into undu-
lating ripples by the sweet, soft summer breeze.
If the perusal of these pages takes you in spirit back
to the days when you lived close to Nature, my aim
will be fulfilled.

It is my hope that some of the suggestions set
forth in these pages may meet with full approval,
and also be of actual service to the reader, and that
interest and pleasure will be his in the perusal.
Thus is my modest craft, built with that delight-
ful labor that physics pain, launched upon its
voyage, in the hope that it will receive a hearty
welcome from sportsmen and nature-lovers in
many a port as yet uncharted in the author's
mind.

A CKN OWLE DGM ENTS

It has been my good fortune to have associated
with me in this undertaking Mr. A. D. Turner,

xix

PREFACE

of New York. Mr. Turner is not only an enthu-
siastic sportsman, but an artist who, in order to
obtain the true effects of color, light, and shade,
has often braved the dangers of flood and field, and
lived within the wilderness for his art's sake alone.
Like myself, he has noted much in detail that
might escape a casual observer. His illustrations
of fish that adorn this work were taken direct from
nature, and the sketches in black and white from
his pencil were made for this work alone. To
him I owe much for his skill, willingness, and
patient labor. The reader will at once perceive
how much of the interest of this book is due to
the labors of so rare and exquisite an artist.

To Mr. S. E. Bickford, of Newport, New
Hampshire, I am under many obligations for his
assistance in furthering the illustrative portion of
this work, for securing perfect living specimens
of fish selected for the oil paintings, and for his
valuable studies in pastel.

Valuable aid was extended to me by Mr. William
C. Harris, of the " American Angler," in the
preparation of the monographs, the classification
of the fishes, the arrangement of the articles, and
for other useful suggestions. My thanks are also
due him for the introduction.

To the United States Commissioner of Fish

XX

PREFACE

and Fisheries and his aids at Washington, and to
the Fish Commissioners of New England States
and Canada, I am greatly indebted for placing at
my disposal valuable literary data and for facilita-
ting careful and minute study of fish in the various
hatcheries.

From Dr. James A. Henshall, Superintendent
of the United States Fish Commission Station at
Bozeman, Montana, I have received much encour-
agement from the inception of the work ; and dur-
ing its preparation I have had the advantage of his
long experience and his deep knowledge of the
subjects treated.

Mr. E. T. D. Chambers, of Quebec, kindly
consented to cover the field embracing the fishes
of Eastern Canada, and Mr. G. M. Fairchild, Jr.,
of Cap Rouge, Quebec, has favored me with the
benefit of his experience.

The author is under deep and continued obliga-
tion to many kind friends and fellow-anglers who
have aided him greatly in the production of the
work. To the following gentlemen, among
others, he wishes to express his earnest apprecia-
tion : Mr. Eugene McCarthy, of Syracuse ; Mr.
Archibald Mitchell, of Norwich, Connecticut ;
Mr. Charles Frederick Stansbury, of New York ;
Mr. C. E. Roberts, of Boston; Mr. Edward

xxi

PREFACE

Everett, of Boston ; Mr. George H. Burtis, of
Worcester ; Mr. E. S. Osgood, of New York ;
Mr. George McAleer, of Worcester ; Mr. H. L.
Jillson, of Worcester ; Mr. Albert French, of
Calais, Maine ; Dr. John D. Quackenbos, of New
York ; Reverend J. C. Bodwell, of Lyndonville,
Vermont ; Mr. Charles F. Orvis, of Manchester,
New Hampshire ; Mr. George W. Van Siclen, of
New York ; Mr. Benjamin L. Whelpley, of
Boston ; Dr. Heber Bishop, of Boston ; Mr.
Charles H. Taylor, Jr., of Boston; Mr. William
D. Orcutt, of Cambridge ; Mr. William A. Chase,
of Holyoke, Massachusetts ; Mr. George Van
Felson, Quebec ; Mr, A. H. Thayer, of Dublin,
New Hampshire ; and The Garo Studio, of
Boston.

:77y^pi^^$^e-^-<^^

XXll

INTR OD UCriON

NGLING has become a force in literature
beyond that of all other outdoor

* -M recreations. About thirty-five hun-
-^ dred editions, and- reprints of nearly

twenty-five hundred distinct works on the " art
recreative," have been issued, and the bibliophile
of this class of literature may be said to riot in
the literary wealth at his command. We cannot
wonder at his enthusiasm and prodigality of ex-
penditure in gathering the book lore of the art
he loves so well. It not only bears the mark of
great antiquity, but, with the great advance in
typography during the last century, the volumes
on this subject are marvels of beauty in mechan-
ical execution, and rich in practical value and in-
terest, for the scientific demands for artistic skill
in luring keep pace with the growing scarcity of
game fish near the centres of civilization.

Anglers, particularly those who delight in the
higher branches of the art, seek for books on their
favorite sport with an eagerness surpassing that
of an ordinary collector of general literature. A

xxiii

INrRODUCriON

teacher of angling, be he practical or philosophi-
cal, gets closer to his readers than an author of a
book on any other subject. He communes with
them ! He is looked upon, not only as a Mentor,
but as a delightful companion and friend.

We cannot wonder at this result, for there is
something subtle in the charm of a good book on
angling, the influence of which is felt by all who
read it, although some there be who never handled
a rod or lured a fin. No man can creel a trout
on a mountain stream without feeling the ele-
vating influence of his environment ; for winsome
nature is, all the while, at his heart's door with
such a gentle and persistent knocking that the
best part of him is opened to her for all the days
of his summer outing, and even after that is ended,
he comes back to bricks and mortar a better man,
with broader sympathies for his fellows. If he
chances at such a time to write a book, not a line
in it will be callous in its humanity, and its covers
will brim with faith, hope, and charity for all
men. •

These somewhat desultory notes are suggested
by the sumptuous volume now before me, —
" Forest, Lake, and River." Certainly none such
has ever been given to the Craft, and, as I look
upon the gorgeous, but chastely artistic beauty of

xxiv

INrRODUCriON

its covers, hesitation is natural in exploring further,
lest the contents may not prove worthy of the
elegant garb they have been given. Such fears
were groundless.

This work of art and of practical value supplies
a need of New England anglers and of the fra-
ternity at large, in that every rod-fish of the north-
eastern coast, and those of the inland waters of
that section, have been gathered en masse, then
classified and arranged for the first time in ichthyic
literature, that the angler-naturalist, or the less-
informed angling tyro, as well as those who are
past masters of the art, can be instructed as to the
habits, habitats, modes of capture, the best lures,
the most serviceable tackle, and last, not least,
even the varied and sometimes strangely developed
idiosyncrasies of each of the fishes that make their
homes in the waters of New England and Eastern
Canada, so far as the western limits of the Province
of Ontario extends. This information, doubly
valuable to the observant and knowledge-seeking
angler, is supplemented on nearly every page with
object lessons. Kindergarten studies, as it were, in
the black and white etchings, anatomically correct
and true to life in every detail of form, including
the more minute ones of the exact number of rays
and spines in the construction of the fins, the trend

XXV

INTRODUCriON

of the lateral line, the placement, number, and
relative size of the scales and other minor but
important characteristics.

And, all through these practical teachings, the
author has infused a touch, a breathing, as it were,
of the elevating influences of life along the streams
and in the depths of the forest. He has handed
dov^^n to us, through the centuries, the pure spirit
of Walton, in that our Old Master tells us in
words never to be forgotten by his scholars :

" And the birds in the adjoining grove seemed
to have a friendly contention with an echo whose
dead voice seemed to live in a hollow tree near
the brow of that primrose hill. There I sat view-
ing the silver stream glide silently toward their
centre, the tumultuous sea, yet sometimes opposed
by rock or pebbles that broke and turned them
into foam. As I sat there, these and other
thoughts had so fully possessed my soul with con-
tent that I thought, as the poet has so happily ex-
pressed it : —

" * I was for the time lifted above earth

And possessed joys not promised at my birth.' "

It has been my privilege to view the original
oils from which the replicas of the large litho-
graph plates were made. These reproductions

XXV i

INTRODUCTION

testify to the marvellous progress that has been
effected in color work. When laid side by side
with Kilburn's fishes, lithographed over a quarter
of a century ago, the art seems to have reached
perfection in softness of tone and mellow diffusion
of colors, which fade and gleam in the live fish
with kaleidescopic rapidity. The talented author,
Mr. A. D. Turner, who painted the oils, has
wisely avoided Kilburn's error, who, in exactness
of copying the minute external anatomy of a fish,
failed to even suggest one in the enjoyment of life
or in the throes of death.

I believe that '' Forest, Lake, and River " will
now, and in the years to come, be a marvel of
beauty and skill to the angling fraternity, a high
landmark in book work, and a testimonial to its
author's artistic nature and practical appreciation
of the needs of his brother anglers when in pursuit
of their favorite pastime.

New York, February, 1902.

XXVll

CT>- ^--

•1^

bi\\\K

.'(taWs'x.asw to ('jj^b^, t^\<l V3 .Z

Figure of a Fish showing the location of parts usually referred to in descriptions

T.

Dorsal fin.

Sa.

Supplemental maxillary.

14.

Snout.

2.

Adipose fin.

9-

Opercle.

15-

Eye.

3-

Caudal fin.

lO.

Branckiostegals.

16.

Head.

4-

Anal fin.

II.

Caudal peduncle.

J7'

Depth.

5-

Pectoral fin.

12.

Lateral line.

18.

Base of caudal.

6.

Ventral fin.

^3-

Series of crossivise scales

ig.

Distance from snout to

7-

Loiver jaav,

or mandible.

usually counted.

nape or occiput.

S.

Upper jaiv,

or maxillary.

/

rHE SALMONS

pftlK..

^:

m..

'^%x\\. i-iiWcv^ty^-^-t^ .oni;i;iaH 3:aAJ iio ^^^-j:^ (^

u«Qiwsi\W\oJHiQr^tO .HznaTiHW vtiatmuoM ^^^^^)

(^)

(i) Cisco or Lake Herring. Argyrosomus artedi

(2) Rocky Mountain Whitefish. Coregonus williamsonti

Forest, Lake^andRiver

THE SALMONS

THE salmon family, Salmonida^ consists
of fourteen genera and subgenera and
seventy species and subspecies. These
include the whitefishes, the ciscoes or
lake herrings, the " inconnu " of Arctic America
(an intermediate form between the whitefish and
the trout), the sea-salmons of the Pacific and the
Atlantic coasts and streams, the salmon-trouts, the
charr-trouts, and the Great Lake trouts, all of which
have the characteristic fatty or adipose small second
dorsal fin situated on their backs near the tail fin.
All the above species, except the commercial or
common whitefish, are noted for their activity and
game qualities, particularly one of the whitefishes,
— the species known as the " Rocky Mountain
whitefish " or " mountain herring," which rises
greedily to the artificial fly and fights viciously.

Many species, notably the salmons of the Pacific
(five species) and the Atlantic form (one species),
invariably go down to the ocean after spawning,
and those known as trouts on the Pacific slope also
do so when access to salt water is at hand. Our

3

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

New England brook trout (fontinalis), when living
in the lower portion of the fresh water streams
that flow into the estuaries of the Atlantic, also
seek temporary homes in the salt water, where they
increase rapidly in weight, and lose, somewhat,
the velvety glow of their skins, and their red spots
become indistinct or entirely disappear.

The species known as the "sea trout" is ana-
tomically identical with fontinalis, but passes the
greater period of its life in the ocean or its
estuaries, very often becoming nearly bright silver
in coloration. In Massachusetts these fish are called
" salters," under which name they are treated at
length in another chapter.

Two species of salmons (the ouananiche and
Sebago forms) are landlocked, that is, do not descend
to the sea after spawning or at any other time.
The first named of these is more generally known
as the "winninish" or " wannanish," and is, with-
out doubt, the most game, for its size, of the fishes
belonging to the salmon family; it reaches a maxi-
mum weight of eight pounds, with an average of
two and one-half pounds. There are no structural
difi^erences between the ouananiche of the Lake
St. John section and the landlocked salmon of
other waters, except in size, the latter growing to
a weight of twenty-five to thirty pounds. Under

4

THE SALMONS

the caption of **The Sea Salmon and its Landlocked
Congener," these fishes are described more fully on
other pages of this volume.

The only Pacific salmon that has been trans-
planted to New England waters is the species
known popularly as the " quinnat salmon"; it
bears, however, many other vernacular names, such
as king salmon, Columbia salmon, Sacramento sal-
mon, chinook salmon, saw-kwey or sauk-eye, etc.
The color of the flesh is red and rich, particularly
in the early spring when fresh run from the sea;
and it is the largest of salmons, individual fish hav-
ing been taken weighing seventy to one hundred
pounds. These qualities render it highly prized as
a commercial fish, and with this in view, the
National and State Fish Commissions planted the
species in the various rivers of the New England
and Middle States, but with no success. A few of
the quinnats returned for a year or two to the
waters into which they were originally introduced,
and then gradually lessened in numbers, and finally
disappeared.

Of the whitefishes [Coregonus)^ there are six gen-
era and subgenera and twenty-one species and sub-
species. Of these, including the ciscoes so-called,
there are only eight varietal forms found in New
England waters and those of Eastern Canada, the

5

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Great Lakes containing most of them. They are
classified as follows :

The Richardson whitefish {Coregonus richardsonli)
is considered a doubtful species, being probably-
identical with other species of the Arctic region,
where it is found. The present name and classifi-
cation of this fish is only provisional.

The pilot-fish, menominee whitefish, shad-
waiter, and round whitefish [Coregonus quadrilatera-
lis, the specific name from the Latin "four-sided,"
from its somewhat peculiar shape) inhabits the lakes
of New England and the Great Lakes. It may be
recognized by its long head, compressed and bluntly
pointed snout, small adipose fin, and by the dark
bluish color of the body above the lateral line and
the silvery hue below. It is very abundant in its na-
tive waters,which are deep and of low temperature.

The common whitefish {Coregonus clupeiformis ,
the specific name from the Latin clupea^ " a shad
or herring " ) is found in the Great Lakes and
neighboring waters, and very rarely ascends streams.
It may be distinguished from its congeners by its
elevated body, comparatively small head, and blunt
snout, which is somewhat " obliquely truncated," —
that is, lopped, maimed, or cut off, — by its dusky
lower fins, olivaceous coloration above the lateral
line, and white, but not silvery, color below. This

6

rHE SALMONS

species does not take the bait, living on small
Crustacea or other minute foods on the bottom ;
instances, however, have been known when they
have been taken on hook and line with very small
natural lures, doubtless, by accident, when the fish
have been feeding, by suction, as it were, on the
bottom of the lake.

There is another whitefish living in New Eng-
land and in the Great Lake waters, which is abun-
dant in cold, clear lakes and in streams of low
temperature and of considerable size. It is tech-
nically called Coregonus labradoricus, and popularly
known as the Sault whitefish, Musquaw River white-
fish, and the whiting of Lake Winnipiseogee. It
has a small mouth, short lower jaw, a projecting
snout, and on the tongue will be found three series
of small teeth. The coloration is bluish black
above, silvery below, and on the edges of the scales
small dark spots are distinctly seen.

Of the ciscoes [Argyrosomus, from two Greek
words signifying ** silver " and "body") there
are one genus and twelve specific and subspecific
forms, of which, however, only five inhabit the
Great Lakes, and none, so far authenticated, have
been found in the waters of New England. Those
of the Great Lakes are :

The moon-eye cisco or the kieye of Lake

7

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Michigan [Argyrosomus hoyiy the specific title
being after Dr. Hoy, an able naturalist of Wis-
consin) is very closely allied anatomically to the
whitefish. It has a compressed body, an ele-
vated back, and a snout somewhat truncated and
similar in form to the muzzle of the common
v^^hitefish. The coloration, however, is much
brighter than that of the whitefish named, a light
iridescent blue appearing above, and on the sides
and lower part of the body, a rich bright silvery
glow is seen, not merely white, as in the common
whitefish ; the cheeks are also silvery in coloration.
The male fish is more highly colored than the
female, the iridescent blue on the back being more
radiant.

The other four forms of the ciscoes all live in
the Great Lakes and in waters inclosed in their
basin. They are :

The cisco, lake herring, Michigan herring,
popularly so called, is ichthyologically known as
Argyrosomus artedi, the specific name after that of
Petrus Artedi, the recognized father of systematic
ichthyology. This fish is very abundant in its
indigenous habitats, and very often visits shallow
waters. It has a high fin on its back, the rays of
which shorten abruptly posteriorly ; the coloration
of the body is bluish black, sometimes greenish

8

THE SALMONS

above and silvery below, with dark specks on the
scales. It is closely allied to, but larger than the
celebrated cisco of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which
comes to the surface during the latter part of May
and the early days of June, feeding voraciously
on the May fly which at that period appears in
myriads on the water and shores of Lake Geneva.
The long-jaw or bloater cisco [Argyrosomus
prognathus, the latter name being from two Greek
words meaning "forward" and "jaw") lives in
the deep waters of the Great Lakes and probably
in other adjacent localities. It may be differen-
tiated from the other ciscoes by the bright golden
reflection on a small area back of the eye, and by
the distinct, but light, longitudinal stripes (formed
by the minute specks on the edges of the scales)
along the entire length of the body.

Another inhabitant of the Great Lakes, notably
Lake Michigan, is the bluefin or blackfin cisco,
the Argyrosomus nigripinnis of the books, the
specific appellation being from the Latin and sig-
nifying " black " and " fin," and by the blue-black
coloration of all of its fins it may be distinguished
from its fellows of the cisco class.

The tullibee or mongrel whitefish {Argyrosomus
tulltbee, the specific title being an Indian name for
the fish) is a handsome and well-marked species,

9

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

growing to a length of eighteen inches or more,
with a deep, short body much compressed like that
of the shad, a large mouth and a projecting lower
jaw. The coloration is bluish above and whitish
on the sides of the body. It inhabits the Great
Lakes and the waters to the northward of them.

10

THE SEA-SALMON

AND ITS LANDLOCKED

CONGENER

The Sea Salmon. Salmo salar

rHE SEA-SALMON

AND ITS LANDLOCKED

CONGENER

SALMO SALAR, the leaper, so-called
from the Latin, sa/iOf "to leap," may be
identified by its elongate, clipper built,
symmetrical and slightly rounded body,
by the eleven rays in its dorsal fin and nine in the
anal. The scales are comparatively large, being
more so on the posterior part of the body. The
coloration in the adult is brownish above, with
silvery sides, and many black spots on the sides of
the head, on body, and on fins, with red patches
along the sides of the body in the male fish.
Young specimens, called ** parrs," have about
eleven dusky transverse bars, besides black spots
and red patches on the body. The coloration,
however, varies very much with food, age, and
condition of the fish, the black spots in the adult
being often X-shaped or XX-shaped.

The range of the eastern sea salmon in Ameri-
can waters is confined to the North Atlantic,

13

FOREST, LyiKE, AND RIVER

ascending all suitable waters north of Cape Cod to
Hudson Bay ; it has been said that they were
abundant in the Hudson River, and also as being
an occasional visitor to the Delaware, both of
which statements are, however, open to question ;
certainly indigenous salmon (Salmo salar) have not
been taken from or seen in either river since the
first day of the last century, — a period of nearly
one hundred and two years. The salmon of
Northern Europe is identical in structure and
habits with the Sal??io salar of American waters,
but the salmon [Oncorhynchus] of the Pacific coast
(five species) are distinct in form, but not greatly
in habits, from the eastern species. One striking
peculiarity exists, however, in that many of the
Pacific fish die after spawning ; whereas none, if
any, of the Atlantic do so, returning to the sea
after the reproductive act, slab-sided, debilitated,
and hook-jawed, but rapidly recovering when in
salt water.

The salmon ascends North American rivers in
May and June, and the greater portion of them,
perhaps all, in the opinion of many ichthyologists
and observant anglers, return to the sea in the
same month of the following year. John Mowatt
of Canada, who was a reliable and unusually intel-
ligent angler, now deceased, made a study for

14

THE SEA-SALMON

years of the Atlantic salmon, particularly those of
the Restigouche River. He claims authoritatively,
that counting from the laying of the ova, the grilse,
which average in weight from three to six pounds,
return to the rivers in three years, weighing from
three to four pounds ; at five years of age, they re-
turn, weighing from ten to sixteen pounds ; at seven
years, they weigh from sixteen to twenty pounds ;
at nine, from twenty-two to twenty-eight pounds ;
and at eleven, from twenty-eight to thirty-five
pounds.

Salmon deposit their eggs on coarse gravel in
rapid waters as far up to the sources as the depth
of the water permits, the temperature falling from
44° Fahrenheit. The ^g^ is fertilized at the
moment of deposit, and the independent life of the
salmon begins at once to develop ; but the extreme
cold of the water retards its development, and it
does not burst its shell until spring.

In the rivers of New England it is probable
that nearly all the eggs naturally deposited do not
mature until April or early in May. In about six
weeks after birth, the fingerling puts on a mottled
coat with more or less darkish cross-bars, and is
known as a "parr," which is at first only about an
inch in length. In two years, it reaches six or eight
inches, and its red spots and dark bars have given

15

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

place to a silvery coat like the adult salmon. In this
stage it is known as a " smolt," and goes to the sea,
where it rapidly increases in size. It returns from
the sea when it has attained a weight of two to six
pounds, and is then called a " grilse " ; these are
taken by anglers in Canadian waters, in propor-
tion of three to one of the adult salmon ; in the
American rivers, particularly in the Penobscot and
Kennebec waters, this condition is said to be
reversed.

Much difference of opinion prevails among those
who have observed the habits of the salmon. In
Scotland, many years ago, it seemed to be estab-
lished that a portion, at least, of the young salmon
put on the silvery coat and went to sea at the age
of one year ; but that others of the same brood did
not do so until two years old. American observa-
tions, however, tend strongly to the habits of the
smolt as given above.

The next stage of the salmon is that of the adult,
four or five years having passed since its birth.
This estimate of age is based upon extended obser-
vations by the Commission of Fisheries of Maine as
to the return of salmon to the Merrimac River, with
the following qualification by the United States Fish
Commission : " Whether the same rule holds good
in other New England rivers cannot as yet be

i6

THE SEA-SALMON

established, owing to inefficient data, but the pre-
sumption is in favor of that conclusion."

Salmon from twenty-nine to thirty-one inches
in length generally weigh, including the eggs,
from nine to twelve pounds, and yield six thou-
sand to eight thousand seven hundred eggs, and an
occasional fish of thirty-five to forty inches will
yield sixteen thousand to twenty thousand eggs.

The salmon seems to be gifted with much
intelligence, which is more particularly brought
into prominence when danger signals are abroad.
They have been known, when congregated in the
upper pools, to get frightened by poachers with net
or spear, to immediately run down the stream fully
thirty miles at night, not stopping until they reached
pools so deep that they could not be taken with
the appliances of the poacher. They seemed to
know that if they went higher up the stream
their doom was sealed.

When coming in schools, entering the estuary
from the sea, they have been seen with an old
leader at the head and the rest forming a triangle
about two and a half feet below the surface, and,
on calm days, guided by the old patriarch, the
school has been seen around the fishermen's nets,
never approaching them within ten or twelve
yards.

VOL. I. 2 \n

FOREST, Ly4KE, AND RIVER

Again, what resources are developed by any
other fish to escape from the steel in its jaws or
tongue ! The leap, the frantic shake of its body,
the wild surge, and the sulk and the desperate
sweep down stream, with the tired rodster in full
pursuit, and, perhaps, without reward.

There are two species or varietal forms of the
landlocked salmon : one native in Sebago Lake
(Maine) and northward, and introduced in various
parts of the country. It is known as Salmo salar
sebago, or landlocked salmon. The other form is
confined in its habitat to Lake St. John, its tribu-
taries, and the Saguenay River, but is in its full
fighting vigor in the upheaving and tumbling
waters of the Grand Discharge, the outlet of Lake
St. John. Scientifically it is known as the Salmo
salar ouananiche (the latter, an Indian name mean-
ing "little salmon"), and among anglers as the
"wannanish " or " winninish," names that are pho-
netic of the Indian pronunciation of ouananiche.

The Sebago species attains a weight of about
twenty-five pounds, and enters streams as the
ouananiche is in the habit of doing, particularly
to spawn. Both of the above-named species were
formerly regarded as distinct from the sea-going
form, Sahno salar, but as no specific anatomical va-
riations occur from those of the sea salmon, the

i8

THE SEA-SALMON

landlocked form are now looked upon as merely
subspecies of the latter. It has been well observed
that the absence of the sea-going instinct is, doubt-
less, at the bottom of most of the variations from
the normal type of the sea-going form which the
landlocked salmon exhibits. They have a lower
tone of color, less striking sexual marks, and differ-
ent habits of feeding, and the parr markings or dark
bands are said to be never completely obliterated
from the sides of the landlocked as they are in the
sea-going salmon.

It has been a matter of much discussion as to
the primitive habitat of the sea-going salmon and
its landlocked congener. Was the first fish land-
locked or an anadromous fish, and during the
glacial period was the surface of the earth so
changed that land became water or vice versa, and
the salmon confined or set free by these physical
changes ? These are matters interesting to ponder
over, but never to be decided, so far as the land-
locked salmon is aff^ected. We all know how
readily many fish accommodate themselves to a
widely different habitat in character, food, nature
of water and general environment. Even the
striped bass, a fish essentially of the salt and brack-
ish waters, has been found thrifty, fat, and game in
a small lake near the Hudson River, but with no

19

FOREST, L^KE, AND RIVER

outlet of any kind. The fish weighed twenty
pounds, and had evidently been placed in the lake
by a fisherman who had caught it, when small, in
the Hudson River years before it was taken from
the lake.

The maximum extent of growth of the ouan-
aniche appears to be about eight pounds, and it is
perhaps only equalled in game qualities by the lady
or bony fish of southern salt waters, which, from
the moment it feels the restraint of capture, leaps
from the water and seems to be dancing on its tail
until landed. Certainly no fish of fresh water is
the equal of the ouananiche, which is pronounced
" whon-an-ishe " by the Montagnais Indians of the
Lake St. John region.

The ouananiche has no important structural
peculiarities by which it may be known on sight
from the landlocked salmon of other waters, al-
though those of the Metabetchunan River (an inlet)
and the Grande Decharge (the outlet) of Lake St.
John are said to have heavier and longer upper
jaws than the Sebago fish, and the longest ray of
the dorsal fin is slightly shorter, and the adipose
fin also shorter in the last named fish than in the
ouananiche. It is also said that the tail of the
latter is slightly more forked than the former fish.
All these differences may, however, be entirely due

20

THE SEA-SALMON

to the difference in size of individual fish com-
pared, and do not justify specific classification.

The landlocked salmon of Sebago Lake is smaller
than the sea-salmon, but its flesh is fat and rich
and of a very deUcate flavor. In game qualities it
is, for its size, quite the peer of the larger salmon.

The average number of eggs produced by the
females is about four thousand, and the young are
vigorous and more rapid in growth than any other
species of the salmon family.

^

" '\^ET here the gamy salmon
seek a home "

THE SALMON OF

THE POOL

This wealth of whirling water ^falling sheer y

Turns into fairy lace its fierce white foam ;

The rushing music doth appal the ear ;

Yet here the gamy salmon seek a home.

Where the bright river s bank by sentries drear ^

By tally dark pines, is watched through glow and gloam.

How 'mid the seething crash the wavelets bright
Smile up I The eddies seem endowed with life ;
The currents, trembling in their torrent might.
Plunge seaward for a grapple of keen strife
With the in-rolling tide ; which now the light
Of Morning floods with radiance rich and rife.

But, where the old mill's arm extends, more deep

The river grows and slackens to a pool :

And there brave warriors lurk in shining sleep.

Knights of the river, confident and cool

And safe ; until they wake with prideful leap

To take the lure which doth their cunning fool.

Then starts the old, old war 'twixt strength and skill;
One fights for freedom and his life to save ;
The other glories in his power to kill;
But neither in the fight would favor crave.
Game to the last, when caught, when dying, still
The salmon of the pool remains a warrior brave.

23

MT FIRST EXPERIENCE

fFITH A SALMON

MT FIRST EXPERIENCE

JFirn A SALMON

PLEASURE in life is, perhaps, most keen
when success has crowned a first en-
deavor. One is then deaUng with what
is unknown, and nervous excitement is
always a prominent factor. Especially is this true
in the world of sports. As we thus gain in
efficiency with practice, experience, and stronger
conclusions, are we not the losers in that intensity
of the first found joy of victory ?

In angling as we graduate from the cruder
methods of boyhood, we almost unconsciously
depend upon more delicate manipulation for the
stimulation demanded to sustain the wavering
interest. The first trout lured by the fluttering
artificial fly — certainly the capture — brought its
reward just at a time when the hook, worm, and
sapling rod were in a certain sense powerless to
evoke the childish enthusiasm of the olden days.

An early morning hour in May before the sun
had gained strength to warm the atmosphere. A

27

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

roaring, impetuous mass of waters, their strength
made more powerful by the mehing snows of early
spring, pouring in unbroken might over the dam,
strong and unyielding as, meeting the river bed, it
quivered for the instant into silver frostings of
foam, then rushed madly on towards the sea,
breaking into swift currents, crashing where its
power was stayed by the timber and stone, which
directed its course while protecting the mill from
its encroaching activity; yet at certain points en-
abling restricted portions of the restive flood to
subside into the semblance of pools.

Skirting close to the mill side of this river, a
spot was gained where an anchor held my small
craft, the pool being quite a little distance below.
In such a place, amid the roar of wind and angry
currents, did I attempt, under the guidance of one
skilled in the art, to make my cast.

Little by little a longer line was tried, and then
over the pool the fly danced. Suddenly there came
a rise ; I felt my heart thumping far faster than
usual, knew I was told to strike slowly, attempted
to heed my instructions, and felt the tug of the
strong warrior, clad in his shining silver armor, as
he rushed far away into the strength of the stream
and then leaped grandly into the air. A strong
impulse urged me to reel in and bring him nearer ;

28

MT FIRST EXPERIENCE

but the wise one was quietly telling me to point
the rod towards him and give him enough slack,
and to-day, while engaged in retrospection, I feel
that I was fortunate in following the commands
given. No sooner did he again reach the water,
than away he rushed ; but my hand was growing
steady, my brain less excited, and I coolly kept
gentle control. Another wonderful leap was
made; but this time I was ready, and knew what
to do. So did the fight go on. Each time did I
make a little gain by getting him still closer to the
boat. Perhaps the strongest impulse to conquer
that came over me, was the anxiety to end the
struggle abruptly and capture the fish before the
time was ripe to do so. Again and again he made
magnificent rushes, such as would have earned
glory and applause for an athlete of the days of
the gladiators. Even with waning strength would
he attempt another fling out of his element, in
what proved for him only a delusive hope of es-
caping, for I was now growing alert and careful,
and there seemed to be no tired nerve or muscle
in my body. Weaker became his battling ; I
could discern the flash of his body as the strength
of rod and line told severely, turning him on his
side. The boat was cast adrift, and was pushed
well in towards the shore. Here the depth was

29

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

trifling, and I scrambled overboard, slowly and
gently bringing him into shallow water. My com-
panion was waiting ready with the gafF, and when
success seemed to be mine, and I saw the iron in a
wondrous and skilful manner strike deep into him
and he was lifted well up on the sands, I could
have yelled my joy. My first salmon had been
taken.

True, indeed, it was, without doubt, that alone
I should have lost the fish ; but the constant re-
minders of just what to do, and my endeavor to fol-
low out these suggestions, inspired me with ability
to win.

As I now look back upon it, this first fish seems
to me to have been absolutely the finest, the most
beautiful, the grandest salmon that had in all proba-
bility ever been captured. One thing am I sure
of, — I was never so thrilled, never so warm and
comfortable, never so happy, never so proud !

Years have elapsed since then, and good fortune
has been mine, but never can it become my lot to
be so thoroughly satisfied, so supremely delighted
as I was on that cold May morning when I knew
and realized that I had actually struck, played, and
taken my first salmon.

30

SALMON FISHING

aaiJ"? vroMJAa

aeoa :A'jkJQ

SALMON FLIES

MITCHELL

POPHAM

JOCK SCOTT

BLACK DOSE

SILVER DOCTOR

SALMON FISHING

SALMON fishing has become an expensive
luxury of late years not only in Canada,
but also in Great Britain, Ireland, and
^^ Norway. Two of the most famous sal-

mon rivers in Canada, not more than thirty
years ago, were leased for one hundred thou-
sand dollars each, per year. If the best pools on
either of these rivers were offered for sale to-day,
in fee simple, they would fetch fifty thousand
dollars each, or more, to say nothing of the pres-
ent value of the entire river. These pools, of
course, represent the very cream of the fishing.
On all salmon rivers there are long stretches of
almost useless water, on which it hardly pays to
spend time in angling. These, even, are leased
now-a-days, at good prices, and a few fish are
occasionally taken early in the season when the
water is high and the fish are running up stream.
Such reaches of water cannot, in any sense, be
called pools ; they are simply waterways through
which the salmon pass in making their way up
river, the pools being the natural stopping places

VOL. I. —3 ^^

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

in which the fish rest for a few days or, perhaps, a
week. The length of their stay in these pools is
probably regulated by the condition of the water
and the distance each fish has to travel before it
reaches its final destination, which, in the opinion
of the writer, is the gravel from which it emerged
from the egg itself. There appears to be no other
way to account for the fact that salmon spawn on
the grounds only a few miles above tide-head, up
to almost the very source of the rivers.

Nearly all reaches of water on which there is a
possible chance to kill a salmon with a fly are now
either owned in fee simple, or leased to anglers.
The competition among anglers for good salmon
water, of recent years, has been intense, and, in
consequence, prices have reached a high level.
While the anglers for salmon are increasing year
by year, there is only just so much good fishing
water to be had, and the prospect now is for an
advance rather than a decline in the price of
salmon pools.

The physical benefit accruing from this out-of-
door exercise is looked upon as of as much value
from one point of view as the rising and killing of
the fish is from another ; hence, as a body-building
sport, salmon fishing is winning favor among pro-
fessional gentlemen and men of means of sedentary

34

SALMON FISHING

habits. There is recreation in the sport, and that
which keeps the body sound and the mind active.
It is a sport worthy of the attention of the best and
brightest men of the age, and to its attraction they
are yearly yielding.

It was my fortune, or misfortune, to fish on a
salmon river every day but Sunday for three weeks
one season without getting a rise. Many people
might regard this as a foolish waste of time, — un-
rewarded persistence where there would have been
sense shown by an abandonment of the endeavor.
This is because they have no idea of the fascina-
tion of that state of increasing hope in which the
salmon is expected to rise every moment, as the fish
are always of a size and sufficient mettle to warrant
the utmost patience and any amount of waiting.
Canoeing on a beautiful stream of water is enjoy-
able of itself in the salmon fishing season ; the
casting and recasting of the fly is good exercise and
beneficial practice. The skill which is acquired
in casting at such times as this, counts the more
for success when the salmon do appear in the river
and rise to the fly, and after being hooked make a
game fight for their lives, which to the angler is
the most fascinating and exciting part of the sport.

And what a wonderful and artistic creation a
salmon fly is ! No insect that ever lived has called

3S

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

to itself so much variety of feathers from birds
inhabiting all parts of the earth, as well as silk
floss and gold and silver tinsel. I am sometimes
asked, " What is your favorite fly ? " The answer
is, " The * Jock Scott.' " It was first tried in 1 845,
and it has held its prestige against the talents of
all fly tiers for over half a century. And how is
" Jock Scott '' constructed ? you ask. I will give
you the formula :

Tag : Silver twist and light yellow silk.

Tail : A topping from the golden pheasant, and
a red feather from the breast of the Indian crow,
finished over with turns of herl, dyed black, from
the ostrich.

Body : In two equal sections, the first light
yellow silk floss ribbed with fine silver tinsel ;
above and below are placed two or three yellow
feathers from the breast of the toucan, extending
slightly beyond the butt, and followed with four
turns of black herl. The upper half of the body,
black silk floss with a black hackle wound round
it and ribbed with silver tinsel of two kinds, —
flat and twisted.

Throat : Gallina.

Wings : Two strips of black turkey with
white tips ; two strips of bustard and gray mallard,
with strands of golden pheasant's tail, peacock

36

SALMON FISHING

sword-feathers, red macaw, blue and yellow dyed
swan, with two strips of brown mallard and a top-
ping above.

Sides : Jungle cock. Cheeks : Blue chatterer.
Horns: Blue macaw. Head: Black herl.

Following is what Major John P. Traherne says
of the famous fly in the Badminton Library :

" No one will dispute that ' Jock Scott,' when
dressed correctly, is the most remarkable of all our
standard patterns and therefore entitled to the pre-
cedence it has been accorded. It is probably the
best known fly that swims in the three kingdoms
and it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that
this splendid specimen of artificial entomology has
won an almost superstitious veneration amongst
salmon anglers. Whether used in rushing streams
or rapids, or in still, sluggish oily pools, its appear-
ance seems to be equally attractive and its success
assured."

Next to the fly itself, the most interesting
part of the salmon fisherman's outfit is his leader,
which is made of gut taken from the silk-ducts of
the silk-worm. Only a short strand is secured
from each silk-worm, and, hence, the leader must
be knotted, each length representing the contribu-
tion from a single worm. It takes from fifteen to
eighteen strands of silk-worm-gut to make a leader

37

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

from nine to twelve feet in length, and consider-
able experience and skill is required to tie the
leader successfully. This gut is brittle when dry,
but becomes soft and pliable after being in the
water for half an hour or longer. A good salmon
leader will bear a strain of ten pounds, and an extra
good one, properly tied, will show a tensile
strength of twelve pounds without breaking. But
contrary to the belief of many anglers, it will not
bear as much strain after being thoroughly soft-
ened with water as it will when dry. A softened
leader is more elastic than a dry one, but the
strands when under strain cut into each other at
the knots, and usually break there. The very best
salmon leaders are always more or less scarce, and
often hard to get. The annual report of the silk-
worm-gut product always states that " the heavy
grades of salmon gut are short," at least the writer
has never seen it reported to be plentiful. Nine-feet
leaders made from what is known as Imperial Hebra
gut cost from three dollars to five dollars each.

The very uncertainty of salmon fishing adds
fascination to the sport. No two seasons are ever
alike. One year the water will be low. The fish
have no set time to come up from the sea. They
come when they are ready, and no one ever knows
beforehand when that will be. It has been said

38

SALMON FISHING

that salmon fishing comes but once a year, and the
season is short. But it does not come every year,
for in some seasons it is a complete failure, and the
angler has his long journey, loss of time, and no
inconsiderable expense for nothing. But a true
sportsman never gets discouraged ; he returns to
fish his water next year with more courage than
ever, and a little bad luck only adds zest to the
sport when it comes his way again. A fisherman
will sometimes have a run of good luck in landing
for a time every fish that takes his fly, then he
may have a series of mishaps and lose a number
consecutively. Only to-day I received a letter from
a friend who is fishing on a noted salmon river in
Canada. This is what he says, in part :

Yesterday I had the conceit taken out of me. You
will remember saying to me before I lefi:, I would
not kill all the fish that took the fly. Well, I hooked
four salmon yesterday, lost three, but killed a small fish
of eight and one-half pounds. I lost a large fish after
playing him for thirty minutes ; he was almost ready to
gaff", but he made another run and turned over; the line
slackened and the fly came home. I felt sure of killing
the fish, but it is never a certainty until the salmon is
gaffed and clubbed.

There is no greater uncertainty than salmon
fishing, looking at it from beginning to end; but

39

FORESr, LAKE, AND RIVER

when one is fortunate enough to arrive on the river
and find the conditions all favorable and plenty of
fish, there is no better or more fascinating sport.

The salmon is a noble fish, and his ways are
peculiar to himself. When he rises to a fly, he
usually makes the water boil, and at times makes a
great splash. The impulse of the inexperienced
salmon angler is to strike, the same as in trout
fishing ; but this is about the worst thing he can
do. When the salmon misses the fly, which it
frequently does in swift water, the fly should be
left right where it is, as it is a salmon habit to
return and try to take it again. They will some-
times return a second and a third time, and eventu-
ally get well hooked. This is considered an artistic
point in salmon fishing. It answers that oft-re-
peated question of the amateur, " What do you do
when a salmon rises to your fly ? " He finds that
an experienced fisherman keeps calm and lets his
fly quietly float an inch or so below the surface,
with the rod held still or nearly so. This is not
such an easy thing to do as it seems to be on paper,
as the situation is an exciting one, and the tempta-
tion is to do the wrong thing. The man who is
experienced in trout fishing is likely to make his
first bad break at this time. It requires trained
nerves and a level head to restrain the natural im-

40

SALMON FISHING

pulse, and wait. The inclination is to strike as in
trout fishing. The wily trout must be hooked
before he spits out the fly, or he is lost; but the
salmon comes up dignifiedly, and deliberately takes
the fly and goes down, really hooking himself. This
is where the real sport begins.

Then the fisherman lifts his rod and puts a good
strain on the fish, and it should be kept on until the
salmon is gaffed. The exceptions to this rule are
when the salmon jumps on a short line, then the rod
should be lowered and the line slackened when the
fish returns to the water, to prevent a sudden snap
and, perhaps, a broken leader. When the salmon
is running toward a dangerous place which means
his loss if he reaches it, a slack line will usually
cause him to stop ; because when the strain is taken
off, the salmon gets the notion that he is free and
ceases to run. The angler then has an opportunity
to study what move to make next. It is better to
do this and take chances on a slack line, than to
have a salmon go over the falls where he cannot be
followed, and escape with a broken leader. The
salmon is occasionally cautious in his ventures.
Sometimes it is most deliberate in its manner, and
must be waited for and teased to take the fly. A
very good illustration of this was furnished by a
dear and much lamented friend. We fished to-

41

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

gether with two other friends on the Grand
Cascapedia River in July, 1891.

One day, Mr. J was fishing in the famous

pool known as " Salmon Hole." (This is where
the late R. G. Dunn killed the record fish some
years ago, which weighed fifty-four pounds.) A
salmon rose close to his fly, but not at it. The
fish kept coming to the surface at intervals of from
about a half to three-quarters of an hour. He
spent the afternoon fishing for that salmon, and
was rewarded at the end of four hours, when the
fish rose to his fly, and he succeeded in killing it.
The fish weighed twenty-five and one-half pounds,
and put up a splendid fight, and this was after-
wards looked upon as a piece of fine work by
those who knew of it. There are not many an-
glers who have patience enough to spend so much
time over a salmon under such circumstances.

The writer has fished for trout from boyhood
upwards; but salmon fishing came later in life.
He has cast the fly on some of the best rivers in
Canada and Scotland, and has passed many seasons
of late years on the Penobscot River in Maine,
with some successes and many failures. With the
exception of the St. Croix, the Penobscot is about
the only river in New England from which salmon
are taken with a fly ; but of late years it has almost

42

SALMON FISHING

been ruined by excessive net fishing. All anglers
accumulate experiences, but theories early founded
are frequently dashed to pieces. If any salmon
fisherman of long experience should write upon
" What I don't know about salmon," he would
find the field ample and matter enough to fill a
large volume.

SALMON
SUGGESnONS

SALMON
SUGGESTIONS

THERE are so many good bits of in-
formation that in reality cannot be
taught save by actual practical instruc-
tion, that when I asked my good
friend and teacher, Mr. Albert French, the game
and fish warden at Calais, Maine, to tell me the
secret of his success with gafi^ and rod, he naturally
replied that the art of killing salmon with rod and
gaff could not be learned from books. But, for the
benefit of my readers, with his consent, perhaps
the attempt to describe certain phases of fishing
lore may be of value and interest. Mr. French's
experience of twenty years has been chiefly con-
fined to the pools on the St. Croix River at Calais,
the upper limits of which for part of the day are
flooded by tide-water that meets the barrier of
a dam.

Writers on salmon fishing disagree widely on
tackle and methods, partially because the environ-

47

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

ments and habits of salmon vary, and the points of
view must accord with conditions existing on the
rivers fished. Success on the water mentioned, de-
pends largely upon the knowledge of the ground
and currents, and also of the characteristics, in-
stincts, and movements of the fish coming fresh
from the sea.

The equipment required will not be described,
as that is a question for experts to discuss. With
them opinions vary, as the size and resistance of
salmon are by no means the same in all waters.
Veteran sportsmen have individual preferences
and conceits as to the length, weight, material,
and construction of the rod ; the make of reel ;
the dressing of an artificial fly ; the length and
texture of line ; the kind of leader, and the shape
and size of gaff. The novice will be safe,
however, in purchasing an outfit recommended
by any responsible dealer. Presuming then that
such a one, before reaching the St. Croix to
essay his first salmon, has acquired, by brief prac-
tice on snow, lawn, or water, sufficient skill in
casting with a two-handed rod, let him try his
luck in some pool, after he has been coached
on a few points that have met with acceptance
from the many rodsmen who have killed salmon
successfully.

48

SALMON SUGGESTIONS

The first thing to learn is the proper motion of
the fly against the current, which is far different
from that employed in whipping for trout or bass.
These fish rise for food ; but the anadromous sal-
mon eats nothing substantial or discernible after
leaving salt water, but seizes the lure from curiosity
or in sport. Even the natural fly, which it so often
leaps to kill, is noticed a moment later floating on
the water. It is important, therefore, to render
the artificial fly attractive in a special manner
which has been found to be alluring to this fish.
The fly is kept more or less submerged, and a
peculiar motion against or across the current im-
parted to it by regular impulses given to the rod ;
this manipulation is soon learned with the aid of a
tutor. Next, with patience and hope, let the
novice essay to cast in eddies and rifts that appear
promising.

When the salmon concludes to inspect or take a
fly, he rarely does so before making his presence
known to an intelligent rodsman engaged in cast-
ing. It may be difl^erent when other methods are
resorted to, such as paying out and reeling in a
great length of line. The fish may show first his
form above water, or may merely swirl the surface.
In either event it is not advisable to make at once
another cast over the place where the break was

VOL. I. — 4 ^g

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

observed ; the flies should be dropped for a minute
or more in another direction. This helps to change
the salmon's eager curiosity to anger and fierceness,
and the next time he comes you are more likely to
hook him. After a few casts, if the fish is reluc-
tant to return to the charge, it is best to reel in and
change the fly ; this ruse will often bring success
at the next cast.

A critical moment arrives with the strike. Very
little pressure beyond that yielded by the weight
of the fish is required to imbed the hook. There
is danger in too strong a jerk, which may snap the
fly, break the leader, or loosen the hook's fastening,
which would soon have been strengthened by the
rush. Here is where many fine fish are lost
through the angler's excitement. Luck must
determine the security of the hold ; but with the
salmon well hooked, a battle royal is on that may
end in thirty minutes or continue for hours. Now
is required the exercise of vigilance, judgment,
and coolness. No two salmon display the same
manoeuvres. One may be a rusher, another a
sulker. One may exhaust himself in constant leaps,
another may not appear above water ; one may
weary you with protracted gameness, another may
yield in a short time. Experience alone can teach
the alertness and action required to win in any

50

SALMON SUGGESTIONS

particular case. Rules cannot be formulated ; skill
and judgment must govern.

While the fish is in play, the single aim should
be to exhaust and bring him to gaff. You must
be careful to give him slack when he leaps, that he
may not shake out the hook, or break the leader
with his tail. You must judge what check to give
his rushes, and how much of the butt of the rod is
needed in all his freaks and doldrums. You must
care for the loose line during his inward runs, that
it may not be wound around a stone or sunken log.
You must know how to turn his courses and keen
him from perilous obstacles. All these and many
minor points must be acquired from tutorship and
practice.

When casting from shore, it is advisable to have
a boat at hand to take, that you may properly con-
trol from it the line and manage the rushes. It is
believed by many that when a salmon sulks at the
bottom, it is for rest, and that he should be dislodged
with pole or stone. This is an error. He is
weakening constantly, and is safe in hand. Take
plenty of time in exhausting your fish. There is
danger in hurry and impatience as to gaffing. It
is best to land on the shore at the finish. Always
have a man to assist if possible. Occasionally one
is found who is a born gaffer, the knack coming to

51

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

him naturally ; but, as a rule, a gaffer is not born
but made by practice. The important act in the
capture of a salmon requires good judgment of the
water and the activity of the fish, and patience.
More losses are caused by haste than by lack of
skill.

When the tired fish is drawn towards the man
with the gaff, he should wait for a side position,
and never strike at hazard. A salmon that is cut
and not held, recovers strength through madness,
and in his wild struggles frequently gets his freedom.
When shy, let him move away. At each return
within reach, he will come nearer and be more
quiet. Take your time until a good chance comes
to gaff him through the back, close behind the
first dorsal fin. This brings out first the tail, in
which lies the salmon's chief strength. Then
with a quick and strong pull the prize is thrown
struggling on the beach. When a salmon is
thoroughly and artistically played, he is easily
brought to gaff.

The salmon of the St. Croix River are conceded
to be superlative for beauty, game qualities, and the
table. They weigh from eight to twenty-five and
even thirty pounds.

What is here written covers but little ground, and
full points of practical value must be given by

52

SALMON SUGGESTIONS

object lessons. Calais is quickly and cheaply
reached from any point in New England, and Mr.
French will gladly render any service in his power
to such of my readers as wish to profit by his
advice and experience.

lJ^^BB^S?^ .^^nsgrA *"

n^ ROLLS, now, are
cast on either hand

THE TROLL OF THE

LANDLOCKED SALMON

Sharp is the air along the lake ;
Seats in our birch canoe we take ;
Silver the foam in our zigzag wake;
Shake our barks^ as the winds out-break.

Close by the bank our birches glide ;
Flame out the colors^ as flushed with pride ;
Longer and stronger grows the stride ;
Wider and wilder the waves we ride.

On with the race, till we reach the ground
Where the noble fish by skill are found ;
Care I — have a care to make no sound.
Rounding in, where the game abound.

'Trolls, now, are cast on either hand ;
Ah! but the captive's leaps are grand ;
Strong his pulls to rejoin his band
And escape from the twisted strand.

Upward he darts and cuts the air ;
Trickily sulks and seeks to wear
In shreds the line ; till, in fierce despair.
Where he rushes he does not care.

5S

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

So is he cunningly lured and let

The face of his final race to set ;

To rush^ to sulky to fume y to fret ;

Tet — gamcy as he gasps in the landing net.

Splendidly game is his glazing eye^
When the cruel moment comes to die ;
And he gives his victor ^ with panting cry^
By his tail's last flap a stern '■^ defi."

t^*-' ^ -i"-*'

rHE KILL OF A KING

THE KILL OF A KING

A STALWART son of a race whose
sun has set, holds firmly the birch
canoe, — a product of his own handi-
work. Carved it is at bow and stern,
with strange scenes of Indian life, and the stranger
words that mean so much even when rendered
into English. With a lack of grace shown by-
many white men in getting into a birch canoe, I
succeed in settling myself in the seat prepared for
me and made comfortable by a broad back covered
with deer skin, and by cushions made from inter-
woven dried grasses. A strong shove that sends the
frail craft out into the sparkling wavelets, a spring
of my guide, Lomay, a flash of paddles, all ap-
parently in one movement, and we are off for the
grounds. From the stern the net hangs within
easy reach of my copper-hued boatman.

Such a morning ! Keen and crisp is the air.
The winds ruffle into motion the surface of the
lake. Around are green islands, proud in their
wealth of fir-trees, and blackened rocks snapping
into purring foam the waters that quiver against
them.

59

FOREST, L^KE, AND RIVER

Dark are the shadows of the distant land. For
a moment visible, then lost to view, the other
crafts dart in and out, each with its occupants
intent on the sport of the day, and each possessing
a distinct and vivid coloring that lends its charm
to the scene. Boldly my little birch is pushed by
vigorous paddle strokes into the centre of the lake,
for we seek a fishing ground still far away.

It is early springtime. The water is so cold
that we should not wonder if floating ice were
seen. Fortunately for us the fish held in this
zone of chill must be active to keep from freez-
ing, yet there exists the disadvantage that the
gaudy, dainty fly is no enticement, so one is forced
to offer a more substantial repast. Under these
circumstances, we use the live minnow, on a single
hook, sunk a trifle under the surface, well swivelled
and with plenty of good line, a reel that runs well
and can be relied upon, and a rod strong, not
heavy, eight to ten ounces in weight. Two rods
equipped in this manner we know will give fair
play, with plenty of chances for a biting fish to free
himself in case of any slight carelessness, or a strike
that is too light. We near the battlefield. Several
small fish are taken, and fresh baits are made as
tempting as possible. Just far enough from the
shore, we glide on, still keeping up hope, while

60

THE KILL OF A KING

going forward and backward, for here it is that
many a good fish has been captured. Little by
little the wind grows stronger, the whitecaps
larger ; the wavelets are fast becoming surging
billows. Skill is, indeed, required in the handling,
and right well does Lomay, kneeling in the canoe
and putting the strength of his muscles into every
stroke, keep me safe from a watery grave.

*T is now that the small fry take to the more
sheltered creeks and nooks, and therefore our min-
now, seen flashing in its naked evolutions, is an at-
tractive bait. Suddenly the rod held in my left
hand feels a moderate strike, but no sooner do I
begin to reel in than a mighty whirr from the
right hand reel causes me to pass the first rod to
Lomay and leave it to him to struggle with the
prize, or not, as best he can, for now I know there
will be a combat. Grasping the right hand rod, I
check suddenly the swiftness of the departing line.
In a moment, with intense satisfaction, I see a mag-
nificent leap far astern, and the sight of a beautiful
landlocked salmon rewards me.

Steady, steady, one false movement and all is
lost.

The acrobatic fish in his arch-like leap returns
to the water head-foremost and darts away, luckily
for me, in the right line of direction. Meantime

6i

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Lomay has succeeded, I do not know how, in
reeUng in his Hne and still keeping the canoe
aright. He wastes no time in using a net, but
lifts the fish into the boat, without waiting even
to kill.

Now my beauty tires a bit, then spurts in another
direction. Guiding as best I can, and swinging
him completely over to the other side, I feel him
pulling like a restive horse, trying to swim away
with everything. But we are in deep water ; I
give him the butt, and he tires again, sullen in his
wrath, surging deeper, deeper, toward the bottom.
A sharp pull starts him from this mood. Again he
flies from the top of a wave high into the air. All
is ready for him ; the line holds him safe when he
touches the water. He tries pulling against all
the opposing forces, and even seeks to make a run
under the boat. Here he fails, as he is strongly
held, and gradually eases away, until suddenly
he dashes a short distance, immediately making
another leap, shaking his grand old head and
body in an effort to throw out the hook that holds
him fast. Once more he fails and darts away, but
grows a trifle weaker in his rush. Now he is
being reeled in. This time he is seen lying on
his side. He looks as if he soon would be our
" meat." But not so at all. As he sees the boat,

62

THE KILL OF A KING

with a powerful swing he rights himself and
rushes like a frightened deer, bending the rod
until it seems that it must break.

Soon the strain is too great for him. He stops
for a meagre respite, but no time is given and he
is turned on his side, and slowly reeled in. His
nearness to the canoe starts his endeavors afresh.
With a tug that cannot be controlled, he makes a
magnificent run far away toward the deeper water,
pulling the canoe with him. Surely this is his last
struggle, I think, as I begin to wind in ; but long
before the line is half shortened he plunges upward,
and as quickly down. No struggle for freedom
could be granted. The line is made tighter ; the
butt is given, and a test between fish and tackle
ensues, in which the tackle triumphs slowly but
surely. On the surface he is seen, and near enough
to try the net ; but it is still useless. As if he knew
well the meaning of that net, he gathers all his
powers and again darts away from it. Three times
this same fighting is gone through with. At a
fourth trial the net closes about him. He is lifted
from his home, exhausted and panting. In spite
of all, the spirit of combat remains. Even the
quick blow on his head from a heavy piece of
wood has to be repeated before he gives up that
wonderful gamy life. As he lies there quivering,

63

FORESr, LAKE, AND RIVER

the shades of coloring flash out in rainbow lines,
as if a halo of gorgeous tints were marking the
death of a king, as king indeed he is, weighing
eight and one-half pounds.

A long fight, a strong fight, and a plucky death.
Inch by inch the battle had been waged ; one by
one only had each counter-movement been met.
Lomay, the stoic, even grunts out, " Good," — high
praise from his lips ; while I, tired by the exertion,
rest content, filling and lighting my brier, as
smoother waters are reached. At last we land, and
soon beside a glowing fire each and every move of
the contest is fought over again in our talk.

This day was a memorable one, and now, as the
king looks down at me with his simulated eye of
glass, I see him as if alive on the wall of my den,
and I dream of the invasion of his domain and of
his capture ; and could he but speak, I am sure he
would say : " I had fair play, even if kingdom and
life were lost." So would I in sparkling wine
drink to his memory in praise of his nerve, his
beauty and strength, and the royal sport he gave.

64

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

the shades of coloring flash out in rainbow lines,
as if a halo of gorgeous tints were marking the
death of a king, as king indeed he is, weighing
eight and one-half pounds.

A long fight, a strong fight, and a plucky death.
Inch by inch the battle had been waged ; one by
one only had each co- 'ovement been met.

Lomay, the stoic, even i^. ^r, * Good," — high

praise from his lips ; while 1, tired by the exertion,
rest content, filling and lighting my brier, as
smoother waters are reached. At last we land, and
soon beside a glowing fire each and every move of
the contest is fought over again in our talk.

This day was a memorable one, and now, as the
king looks down at nv with his simulated eye of
glass, I see him a^ if ilive on the wall of my den,
and I dream of the invasion of his domain and of
his capture ; and could he but speak, I am sure he
would say : " I had fair play, even if kingdom and
life were lost.'* So would I in sparkling wine
drink to his memory in praise of his nerve, his
beauty and strength, and the royal sport he gave.

J^j/^HERE vapors rise to veil

The rushing, crushing waves that seethe

64

TO A LEAPING

OUANANICHE

In sleepy water still

Thou dost not care to rest at ease ;

But^ where the reckless rapids wreak their will

With foam as fierce and furious as the sea s —

Where thou canst find thy fill

Of struggle strong and free —

There dost thou love to be.

Where Danger beckons and the wild winds roam

To stir up louder strife^

Amid the flashing waves thou hast a home —

Rough Rider of the Rapids^ thou ; — not born

To doubt and dally or to sulk and mourn;

But born for strenuous life.

Where vapors rise to veil
The rushing^ crushing waves that seethe
Below the dam^ thou dartest on to scale
The proud fall which would bid thee stay beneath.
Tet^ if thy first leap fail.
Thou hast the valorous breast
Never to quit thy quest ;
But in a play of whirlpool power dost seek
To summon all thy strength
VOL. I. — 5 d^

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Of reckless life that^ scorning what is weak^
Spurning the idle quiet and the hush.
Keen as the lightning, mounts with zigzag rush
The moving wall^ at length I

And in thy human fights

How, like a proud, a mettled steed,

T'hy high-bred nature seemingly delights

Full to display the splendor of thy speed !

'Thy leaps are more like flights.

As if thou wouldst forsake

Thine element and take

The wings of morning or the winds to bear

Thy Buoyancy along;

And how thine armor glows, as if the rare

Valor within shone through, to die in light !

Thou art, in faith, a Royal River-Knight —

Well worth a minstrel's song I

t:z

THE OUANANICHE

aW0\Vl^Vl\v\3Q

QUANANICHE

rHE OUANANICHE

EVERYTHING that pertains to the sub-
ject of fish and fishing is of interest
to the angler, particularly to him who is
ever ready to study his art as well as
practise it. No matter how frequently articles
may be published referring to any or all game fish,
each in turn is eagerly read and thoroughly digested.
This, being true of all noted fish, is especially so in
regard to the ouananiche or so-called landlocked
salmon of Canada. This most illustrious member
of the great salmon family came into prominence
in the angling world about ten years ago, therefore
it is, comparatively speaking, new to many fisher-
men. Much has been written in reference to this
wonderful fish, and, doubtless, much more can and
will be. This is possible for the reason that the
subject is not only of such great interest that
sportsmen can never tire of it, but also because
something new is constantly being learned in
regard to its life and habits.

The ouananiche is beyond question the gamest
of all fish inhabiting either American or Canadian

69

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

waters. This is true when he is brought in com-
parison with the salmon, pound for pound, or with
the trout, bass, or muskallunge. Ardent anglers
whom fortune has favored to the extent of en-
abhng them to enjoy the magnificent sport of
killing the mighty salmon, and the large number
of fishermen who believe the small-mouthed black
bass, or the various kinds of trout, to be the great-
est fighters, will naturally take issue with this claim.
It is necessary, therefore, that a broad statement of
this nature should be proven, and that beyond
question.

To write fully regarding the ouananiche, and to
cover the subject thoroughly, its descent and family
history must be given so far as known, together
with a description of its habitat and environments.
A detailed description of its fighting powers and
the consensus of opinion regarding the same is also
necessary. The subject is of deep interest to the
modern angler, and should be treated exhaustively.

The natural home of the true ouananiche is
found in certain specific waters located within the
Province of Quebec and the Labrador peninsula.
The fish is especially known in connection with
Lake St. John, Quebec, its tributaries, and its out-
let,— the wonderful Saguenay River. There it is
found at its best, and its popularity is evidenced by

70

rHE 0 UANANICHE

the yearly increasing number of fishermen who
seek its capture. A species somewhat similar is
found in certain lakes in Maine, where it is desig-
nated by the varietal name Sebago. These fish
have been artificially propagated at the State hatch-
eries of Maine and New York, and to a considerable
extent by the United States Fish Commission.
The fry have been successfully planted in a number
of lakes in the States mentioned, as results now
begin to show. Further reference to these last
named fish will be made later.

The name ouananiche — this is accepted as the
proper spelling, the pronunciation being " winnan-
ish " — was given by the Montagnais Indians, who
have inhabited the Lake St. John country for an
unknown number of generations. The literal
translation of the word is "ouanan," salmon, and
"iche" (the diminutive), " the little salmon."

Some well known writers on the ouananiche
have claimed that " ouanan " was not the proper
word for salmon in the Montagnais language. The
Montagnais are a branch of the Crees, and no less
than seven or eight different dialects of their lan-
guage have been or are now extant, the word being
found in more than one. The name as spelled
above can be traced back in Indian history fully
two hundred and fifty years. Many words must

71

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

have become radically changed, as has occurred in
the English language during that long period, es-
pecially as the Montagnais language was never
written until early in the century just passed.
Many of the tribe being ilUterate, they would
naturally either mix their dialects or speak incor-
rectly, thus using different words to express the
same thing. Perhaps the best authority is Mr.
Robertson, who has been for many years the inter-
preter of the Montagnais at Lake St. John. He
is familiar with no less than seven dialects of the
language, and states authoritatively that " ouanan "
is the true word for salmon, as used by a majority
of the tribe, and is as he learned it a generation
ago from tribal traditions.

Thoroughly famihar with the salmon of the sea,
as well as with its close relative, the ouananiche,
these Indians quickly noted their similarities and
named both alike, designating the latter only by
the adjective small. Smaller than its progenitor
of the sea, it is yet more powerful in size of fins
and tail, and, pound for pound, by far the greater
fighter.

The salmon spends much of the year somewhere
in the quiet depths of the ocean, and only labors
against fall and rapid when ascending the rivers to
spawn. With the ouananiche, on the contrary,

72

rHE 0 UANANICHE

life is one continuous struggle in the midst of
terrific currents, rapids, and falls. Naturally it
becomes strong and vigorous, and when once it
feels the prick of the hook, fights fiercely until
the end.

Lake St. John has no less than eighteen tribu-
taries flowing into it, three of which are from four
hundred to six hundred miles in length, — all are
swift-flowing rivers with innumerable falls and
rapids. They fairly teem with ouananiche through-
out their entire length, which demonstrates the
improbability of the fish ever becoming extinct.
To avoid any possibility of their being depleted
locally, a hatchery has been established at Lake
St. John, where thousands of ouananiche, as well
as the salt-water salmon, are hatched and placed in
their native waters each year.

The most ancient traditions of the Montagnais
Indians make mention of " the little salmon," and
through them its nature and habits are thoroughly
known to the present generation. Modern stu-
dents of ichthyology for a long time believed that
the ouananiche, at some time in the past, had as-
cended from the sea to spawn in the waters it now
inhabits, and had become landlocked by some
barrier thrown up by Nature. Investigation
proves this to be erroneous, so far, at least, as

73

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Lake St. John is in question, the Indians stating
that the Saguenay River retains its original character,
and the geological formation proving it as well. It
must be accepted as a fact, therefore, that these
fish remain in fresh water from choice, not neces-
sity. That they are to some extent anadromous,
is readily proven from the fact that they have been
taken in the salt water of the Saguenay River near
its confluence with the St. Lawrence.

A close comparison of the ouananiche with the
salmon of the sea shows but minor differences
other than a slight variation in body colorings, tex-
ture of the flesh, and rotundity. The ouananiche
is rarely as plump and fat as is a fresh run salmon.
True, the various fins and tail are larger, but general
color, spots, markings, jaw, and flakiness of the
flesh, as well as habits and fighting qualities, are in
most respects alike. The flesh does not possess
the layers of fat and oil held by a fresh run sal-
mon, hence it is preferred by many for the table.
A distinct variation in food would explain that.
While the salmon will average from fifteen to
thirty-five pounds in weight, and is frequently
taken heavier, the ouananiche will average from
two and one-half to five pounds, with eight or
eight and one-half pounds extreme. They have,
therefore, degenerated in size only. Why they

74

rUE 0 UANANICHE

should have left the sea to seek a home in fresh
water cannot be explained; but that they are true
Salmo salar, differing only in the few particulars
mentioned, due entirely to difference in environ-
ment, must be admitted.

In the swiftest flowing and most turbulent cur-
rents, in the foam-covered waters at the bottom
of a rapid or in the boiling cauldron at the foot
of a fall, there and there only, during the greater
part of the year, is the ouananiche found. Its near
relative, the landlocked salmon of the Maine lakes,
is, beyond question, descended from the sea salmon
as well, and has had free access to the ocean. Its
home, however, is in the deep waters of lakes (ex-
cept in early spring), where it attains a weight far
in excess of the Canadian fish. Not infrequently,
it is taken weighing from fifteen to twenty pounds
and more. This would indicate some variance in
the two fish, although in general appearance their
similarity is marked.

While in the majority of waters where found,
the ouananiche can, and to some extent does, seek
salt water, in others it is not possible to do so.
This is noted in the Hamilton River of Labrador,
where these fish are found above the great falls
(three hundred feet high). As geologists say these
falls have existed since the glacial period, the

75

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

ouananiche could not have ascended from the sea.
As to how they reached these or any other land-
locked waters, theories only can be advanced.
Two hypotheses present themselves, both of which
are far from being improbable or impracticable.
A great variety of water-fowl seek the waters of
northern Canada as breeding grounds, many species
feeding upon fish eggs from the spawning beds.
It is more than possible that in devouring large
quantities of eggs some would be voided uninjured
by the gastric juices, and be dropped in various
waters during the ceaseless journeyings of the fowl.
The eggs, having been previously impregnated,
would naturally hatch in due course. It is pos-
sible, also, that cranes or herons may serve as
carriers. As they are constantly wading in shallow
streams where the fish spawn, the eggs, owing to
their glutinous nature, might easily adhere to their
feet, to be washed off in other waters.

The greatest enemy of the ouananiche is the
pike, (brochet), which is not only very plentiful
in Lake St. John waters, but attains great size.
Many fish are taken having fresh wounds resulting
from terrible attacks, while thousands are disfigured
with healed scars from injuries received from pike
in the past. Another enemy is the burbot, or ling,
which grows very large in Lake St. John. For-

76

THE 0 UANANICHE

tunately this great destroyer is confined to that lake
alone, not being found in other surrounding waters.

The natural food of the ouananiche, as far as
can be learned, consists of chub {ouitoiiche) and
flies. The latter seem to be given the preference,
while nothing dead or of a carrion nature attracts
them. It is reasonable to infer that since their
food is naturally at variance with that of the sal-
mon of the sea, the color of their flesh (pink) is
not caused by what is eaten, but is rather a family
characteristic. While the salmon does not feed
at all in fresh water, living entirely upon the
layers of fat it brings from the sea, the ouananiche
is a lusty feeder during all seasons and at all times.

Our " little salmon " of Canada changes his
habitation with the seasons, and the sportsman
must study and understand his vagaries in this par-
ticular in order to meet with success. During the
late winter it is taken plentifully in fishing through
the ice, which indicates that subsequent to the
spawning season it is running wild. The moment
the ice goes out, which, on the average in Lake St.
John, is about the middle of May, the fish is to be
found only in the mouths of the rivers, especially
the Ouiatchouan and Metabetchouan. Early in
June, as the water becomes warmer, none can be
found in these places, all seeming to have migrated

77

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

to the tumultuous waters of the Grande Decharge.
Here the ouananiche is found at its best ; the
winter's sluggishness has passed away, and its won-
derful fighting powers are taken on.

Fish can be taken in the Grande Decharge until
winter again sets in, but the best fishing ends there
during the latter part of August.

All through the season many fish can be taken
at the various falls and rapids in the numerous
inflowing rivers, but in the month of August fish-
ing at these points is most successful. This condi-
tion is due to the fact that the ouananiche is
making its annual pilgrimage to the head waters to
spawn. The angler can have wonderful success in
whipping with his flies the pools at the foot of the
falls, as it is there that the fish are resting prior to
making their high leaps. Incidentally, it is well to
mention that the fifth falls of the Mistassini River
are sheer fourteen feet high, but prove no barrier
whatever to the ascending fish. The third falls of
the Metabetchouan would be pronounced by most
salmon fishermen as being impossible for any fish to
ascend, yet the ouananiche, large and small, pass
them without apparent difficulty.

The subject-matter thus far given shows, in a
general way, the habitat, history, and characteris-
tics of the ouananiche in detail. While showing

78

rHE 0 UANANICHE

it to be a fish fully worthy "the foeman's steel,"
yet will a description of its fighting powers enhance
the reader's knowledge of its capacity to smash
tackle. In the case of the salmon of the sea, heavy
two-handed rods of from fifteen to twenty ounces
weight and special tackle are required. In angling
for the salmon of Lake St. John, it is different.
There one uses trout rods of from six to eight
ounces, an " E" silk line, an automatic reel, — in
fact, the same outfit which would be selected for
black bass or brook trout casting.

Many anglers returning from Lake St. John,
following a first trip, and frequently after a second
or third, set forth in print certain suggestions as to
the tackle to be used, innovations that make the
experienced ouananiche fisher smile. The main
fault arising from lack of experience — experience
that requires more than one or two seasons to
acquire — lies in advocating the use of small flies.
While they may attract equally as well, or, for the
sake of argument, it will be admitted better than
those of medium size, the case does not end there.
It is well known amongst anglers that small hooks
are for small fish, and larger ones for those of
increased size. If one is partial to small hooks,
say number ten or twelve, let him try his skill
against another using number four or five. Again,

79

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

let it be admitted that the former will attract and
hook the most fish. Result — the large hook
brings to net two or three fish to the small hook's
one. This is not an individual opinion, but an
absolute fact based upon the knowledge of practi-
cal ouananiche fishermen after many years' practice.
It is certainly far better to hook a few fish, and save
them, than to prick a quantity with a baby trout fly,
and lose them. The possibility of bringing a four
or five pound ouananiche to net with a number ten
or twelve hook is as remote as that of bringing a
tarpon to gaff with a number o bass hook. He who
has a hobby will ride it, even if by so-doing he
loses a majority of fish hooked. Unreasoning pre-
judice should, however, be avoided, and the consen-
sus of opinion of experienced anglers followed.

Pictures, not words, could alone properly describe
the fighting qualities of the ouananiche. A series
of moving photographs representing the play of a
lusty three or four pounder, well hooked, might do
the fish justice ; written descriptions cannot.
Imagine the black bass at his best, increase his
aggressive powers several fold, and you have the
ouananiche. While the bass leaps from the water
possibly three or four times, the Lake St. John fish
is scarcely content with less than eight or ten.
Perhaps the best simile would be to compare it to

80

THE 0 UANANICHE

a bull-dog clinging to a stick that one holds, and
endeavors to retain. The securing of the fish or
stick is equally difficult. The action of the dog
and fish is very similar.

The angler casts his flies upon a swift-flowing
rapid or a seething, boiling pool. Previous ex-
perience with other fish would* indicate that no
member of the finny tribe could live there. But
previous experience does not count here. A sil-
very flash possibly, a sharp tug at the line surely I
This is usually the first intimation of a strike, as it
is given under or just at the surface, being, there-
fore, probably unnoticed, owing to the rough
waters. A sharp answering strike back on the
part of the angler, and a battle royal is on. So
erratic and at variance is the fighting method of
one fish from that of another, that a general de-
scription is valueless. Perhaps the better plan is
to describe the antics of one particular fish, and
allow that to sufficiently stir the imagination to
enable one to picture to some degree the behavior
of all.

The black bass cannot be belittled as a fighter,

since he comes of fighting stock, protects family

traditions, and verifies them beyond question.

Mayhap, like a poorly trained fighter, they may

keep up a fierce battle for a few short rounds, but
VOL. I. — 6 8 1

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

eventually the one best trained makes the best show-
ing. A fit candidate for the piscatorial insane asylum
is the ouananiche who feels the prick of the angler's
hook and fails to shake it loose. Every contortion
known to the high and lofty class in tumbling is
practised. Almost as much out of the water as in,
it would be, perhaps, less difficult to describe what
they do not do.

With the first prick of the hook, our fish is out
of water, and well out, — two or three feet, — fall-
ing back with a splash. His next rush is deep
down, jerking at the line as does the bull-dog
with his stick. Not succeeding in securing free-
dom from the hook, a rush to and fro is made,
followed by another leap. Now comes a run
down stream that only an automatic reel with in-
creasing tension safely checks. The drag on an
ordinary reel is useless, and permits the fish to run
into rough water, take out all the line, or so much
that, should he run back, the slack cannot possibly
be reeled in quickly enough. While the auto-
matic checks a run, it also gathers slack, no matter
how rapidly given. Another jump, another dive
down, another run marks the continuance of the
struggle. Enhancing the sport is the anxiety of
the angler, fearing the loss of his fish after the
hard fight. In the mean time the wrist begins to

82

rHE OUANANICHE

tire from playing the rod with the butt presented,
so much so that, when the fish is netted, a rest be-
fore again casting is absolutely necessary.

Many fish will be lost, and this must be ex-
pected. Loss from being poorly hooked or from
broken tackle cannot be avoided ; but when caused
by sharp checking of runs, improper tackle, and
especially impatience, it can be. Those who
have caught black bass have laid the founda-
tion for the art of taking ouananiche. That,
however, is to have but the alphabet of this
fishing learned, the advanced education being
secured only through much experience. Written
description and rules may give hints, but prac-
tice alone can bring success. Were all these
fish to fight in a similar manner, specific advice
could be given ; but as they do not, actual practice,
alone, enables one to learn their manifold vagaries
of action, and to be prepared for the same.

Consultation with a score or more of anglers
who have sought the Lake St. John fish, not once
but many times, demonstrates fully the unanimity
of opinion that they are the greatest fighting fresh-
water fish, pound for pound, extant. Investigation
shows the few who may hold opposite opinions —
possibly two or three — to have been the victims
of adverse circumstances. Either the fish did not

83

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

bite, possibly ran small, or, as will occur with any
game fish, were lacking in extreme fighting quali-
ties at the time. As is well known, under certain
conditions of weather, water, lack or superabun-
dance of food, or other unknown causes, the bass,
trout, and even the salmon are disappointing in
their action. One should not, therefore, condemn
them as a whole. There are other fish, and es-
pecially are there other days when conditions are
reversed. It cannot be said that game fish always
fight alike, since they do not ; it is logical to add
that to maintain that the same fish always lack
game qualities is equally untrue — absurd. Those
most enthusiastic over the gameness of the ouan-
aniche are the salmon fishermen. In a position to
secure the finest fishing our waters afix)rd, yet will
they leave that sport and seek Lake St. John and
its justly noted fish. Most of them cheerfully ad-
mit that, size considered, the "little salmon " is the
greater fighter.

Individual members of the St. Marguerite sal-
mon preserve, located on a river bearing that name,
flowing into the Saguenay, frequently hook a
ouananiche in casting for salmon. Instantly a
shout advises their companions of the fact. Joy-
ous indeed is this fortunate angler, as he anticipates
a fight far more strenuous and exhilarating than

84

THE 0 UANANICHE

that given by a salmon of even superior weight.
No argument can be stronger than this to verify
the game fighting quahties of the " little salmon."
There is certainly none other of our fresh-water
fish that would attract a salmon fisher from his
chosen sport, or interest him so thoroughly.

While it is utterly impossible to make any rule
or set of rules to be followed to successfully hook,
play, and bring the ouananiche to net, as previ-
ously stated, it is entirely practicable to advocate
certain tackle to use in their capture, such as is
justified by ample experience. Prior mention has
been made of the proper size rod, line, and kind of
reel to use, and each will be found to be correct.
Occasionally a devotee of an extremely light rod,
or the opposite extreme, a heavy one, will insist
upon his idea being the proper thing, and follow
it. Certainly there is no absolute criterion in the
matter of the tackle to be used, but there are
sensible ideas on the subject, based upon long
experience, that should be followed by rational
sportsmen.

The use of an extremely light rod, primarily,
entails not only a great amount of skill to pre-
serve it intact, but to secure the fish as well.
Backbone in a rod is absolutely necessary, since
that alone will tire the fish without unduly tiring

8J

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

the arm. Physical pain or exhaustion is abso-
lutely out of place when following a favorite
sport. When one needs to study every move
to avoid breaking a too delicate split bamboo
creation, he prolongs his sport to an unreasonable
degree, exhausts himself, and increases the possi-
bility of losing his fish. The other extreme, a
heavy rod, lacks spring entirely, unless a very
large fish should be hooked. This throws the
whole labor of tiring the fish upon the angler,
while any sudden jerk, unrelieved by the spring
of the rod, will result in its tearing loose.

To properly play a ouananiche, the butt of the
rod should be held towards it, which will bend
it to a " C " shape. The rod being held in the
right hand, fully six feet of line should be drawn
between the reel and first guide ring with the
left. Playing a fish by this method of using
rod and line will, to a certain extent, prevent
it from making long runs, and at the same time
avoid excessive strain when it jumps. When a
jump is made, the position of the rod is quickly
reversed, being pointed directly at the fish, and
the line given or taken as the pull may warrant.
This method of fishing causes a steady strain, and
is the only one that will prevent too much at any
single moment. In reality, the hand takes the

86

THE 0 UANANICHE

place of the reel to a great extent, and will
tire any fish much quicker than playing it with
reel alone, and beyond question will bring a
larger number safely to net. It is certain that
a fish can thus be handled in a much more deli-
cate manner, as the many jerks and pulls, through
the delicate sense of touch, indicate just what is
to be done, when a fish undertakes to make a
run or pulls too hard. At such times the hand
should release the line, and the strain and play-
ing be maintained by the rod and reel. In the
event of further jumping, the line can be again
quickly grasped, and the hand-playing repeated.

Under no circumstance should more than
two flies be used, while, if the fish are biting
freely, one is advisable. Two fish hooked at
once will always work at cross purposes, and
if of good size, will probably destroy rod or
tackle. Heavy, six foot, single leaders should
be used, together with an " E " enamelled silk
line. Loop leaders will be found to be most
advantageous, owing to the constant changing
of flies being necessary.

To advocate any particular reel as being better
adapted to successful ouananiche fishing than all
others, is to tread on dangerous ground. Equally
so would it be to suggest some special make

87

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

or kind of rod. Every angler has his own pref-
erences in this regard, and will defend his claims
for excellence of choice to the fullest extent.
For this reason it is better to state personal pref-
erence only and the reason for such.

As previous mention has been made of the
automatic reel and a reference to its action noted,
it is necessary to go deeper into the subject and
institute a comparison with so-called crank
reels. In the case of the ouananiche, as with
the salmon, it will be found that it will make
frequent long runs away from the angler, and
is liable to return immediately to the starting
point. During the run, a large amount of line
is taken out, which with the rapid return of
the fish, a crank reel, no matter how fast it
multiplies, cannot recover sufficiently fast to pre-
vent slack. If the fish immediately makes
another run, as frequently happens, it carries the
slack until the line is taut, and the sudden jerk
tears out the hook. With the automatic reel
the drawing out of the line gradually winds a
spring, giving a steadily increasing tension that
is impossible otherwise. This quickly tires and
checks the fish, and no matter how quickly it
returns, the spring reels the line as rapidly as
given, and absolutely no slack can be formed. A

THE 0 UANANICHE

special claim to superiority lies in the fact that only
one hand is required to hold the rod and manipu-
late the reel. This leaves the other hand quite
free to use in handling the line or to net a fish.

The selection of flies is of special import,
success depending almost wholly upon correct-
ness in this respect. The same flies, both as
to kind and size, are to be used as in casting
for salmon — the gaudy, bright ones being pre-
ferred. There are times, however, during which
almost any fly will prove attractive. When the
fish do not rise readily, one should thoroughly
test each of the varieties he may have. Beyond
question the Jock Scott and Silver Doctor are
more uniformly successful, and one of them
(in using two flies) should, as a rule, be used
as the trailer or end. A fly in absolute color-
contrast should be fastened on as the dropper
or top. A great assortment of flies is not at
all necessary, ten or possibly twelve kinds afford-
ing suflicient variety. The following list will
prove of advantage to select from — all being
exceptionally good : —

Jock Scott, Brown Hackle, Ferguson,

Silver Doctor, Cow Dung, Montreal,

McCarthy Ouananiche, Professor, Grizzly King,

Royal Coachman, Hare's Ear, Seth Green,

Queen of the Waters, Jungle Cock, March Brown.

89

FOREST, L^KE, AND RIVER

It is well to repeat here that number four or
five hooks are unquestionably the proper sizes
to use. Those tied with a double snell or helper
are especially to be selected.

A parting word of advice is to suggest the
selection of a large, deep, long-handled landing
net. This is absolutely required as a measure
of safety. Its open diameter should be at least
fifteen or eighteen inches, depth thirty inches,
and a five or six foot handle is necessary. A
net of this size is required, as the ouananiche
fights to such an extent that even when netted
it is liable to leap from a shallow one and be
lost.

To attempt to teach one who has never tried,
just how to angle for, play, and bring to net
a lusty ouananiche, or in fact a salmon, trout,
or bass, would be as difficult as the effort to
teach fencing or even photography by written
words. To be sure the where and when to
fish, the kind of tackle, method of use, and
method of playing a fish when found, can be
made clear in a great measure. The benefit
to be derived ends when one has digested that
amount of advice. The intending fisher at Lake
St. John may learn from this article all that
seems possible to make known in advance. With

90

THE 0 UANANICHE

this knowledge to work upon, success should
follow sooner or later.

There is no doubt that ample experience may-
elaborate or even improve upon the advice and
suggestions herein set forth. There is much yet
to be learned in regard to the ouananiche to
perfect angling successfully for it. The sport
is there for all — seek it ! This fishing is not
far advanced beyond infancy — study it ! What-
ever seeking, study, and experience may bring
forth, in addition to what is now known —
write it !

THE r ROUTS

OF NEW ENGLAND AND
EASTERN CANADA

uSiKSS^*:

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m

W

\r'

\

J

^g\ i»m\vj'\ii?» .Tuo«T QjprT(Ha-Q3.H (

^ /.Ta'afji.'f.. '— "" "^. . '. < V a ^

(I'jt.'-''

:7Tfe^

{!)

U-)

(i) Red-spotted Trout. Salvelinus fontinalis
(2) The Cut-throat Trout. Salmo clarkii

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i^xsv-^, u i^v(\\%'s\^1 .oviijaiA8 MAaqoJWJg Jpt )

(i) European Saibling. Sahelinus alpinus
{i) The Steel-head Trout. Salmo gairdneri

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i»W-^tt5i i»«'\(^$i i»«'s\^vr\sk'?. .Tuoa i^a^ L...; j2 (i)

&i-^y^\^Q i^mW\s^?> .Tuo^T .MDAaau^v^^ 3hT (r)

(i) Sun A PEE Trout. Sahelinus alpinus aureolus
(2) The Blueback Trout. Sahelinus oguassa

^

l>^!

:rf

^tav

i

vjw-^v —

ti , (--)

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(r)

(2)

(i) The Arctic Trout. Sahelinus alpinus arcturus
(2) Dolly Varden Trout. Sahelinus parkii

rHE rRours

FROM the middle of the fifteenth century,
when Dame JuHanna Benners wrote and
printed the first book in the English lan-
guage on the subject of fishing, to the mid-
dle of the nineteenth, when the Father of American
angling, Thaddeus Norris, gave us his " American
Angler's Book," the fishes of the salmon family
have been looked upon as the most worthy by
anglers ; not, we think, entirely because of their
acknowledged game qualities, but partly from the
conditions under which they are captured and the
skilful methods and delicate tackle used in bring-
ing them to the net or gaff.

The refining influences of the environment of
an angler, when on a mountain stream, may also
have much to do with placing these fish above the
plane of those of sluggish or even placid or purer
waters. Be this as it may, the trout has been, and
probably always will be, most eagerly sought by fly
fishermen, and they do not, now-a-days, have to
travel afar, particularly in New England, for owing
to proper planting, and the better observance of

9S

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

the laws protecting them, the trout streams are
plentiful and the fish increasing in numbers.

The native trouts of New England and Canada
consist of ten species, viz :

The Brook or speckled troMtj Sahelinus fontinalis.
The Dublin Pond trout, Sahelinus fontinalis agassiziiy
The Long-finned charr, Sahelinus alpinus alipes^
The Greenland charr, Sahelinus alpinus stagnalis.
The Arctic charr, Sahelinus alpinus arcturus^
The Sunapee trout, Sahelinus alpinus aureolus^
The Blueback or Oquassa trout, Sahelinus oquassa.
The Nares trout, Sahelinus oquassa naresiy
The Lac de Marbre trout, Sahelinus oquassa marstoni.
The Lake trout or togue, Cristivomer namaycush.

The above named fish are all " charrs," distin-
guished from the salmon and salmon trouts by the
location of the teeth on the vomer, a bone on the
roof of the mouth. This peculiarity will be here-
after described in detail.

In addition to these ten species of native trout,
there has been introduced into New England
waters five foreign species and a few transplanted
forms from the Pacific slope. The foreign va-
rieties are :

The German or Brown trout, Salmo fario^
The Loch Leven trout, Salmo trutta levenensis.
The Swiss Lake trout, Salmo lemanus^

96

THE r ROUTS

European Sea trout, Sa/mo fruUa,

The European saibling, Sahelinus alpinus.

The Pacific forms introduced, so far, are :

The Rainbow trout, Salmo irideuSy
The Black-spotted trout, Salmo clarkiiy
The Steel-head trout, Salmo gairdneri.

Of all these species the common brook trout,
Sahelinus fontinalisy is more than the peer from an
angling standpoint. It will be known, on sight,
by the bloom of the body, suffused and velvety in
coloration from gill-cover to peduncle ; by the
deep olive tone of the vermiculations on its mottled
back, and darker mottlings on dorsal and tail fins ;
by the dusky shadings on the lower paired fins, on
which a cream-colored band appears anteriorly, fol-
lowed by another of darker hue ; by the red spots,
smaller than the pupil of its eye, seldom found on
the back, but always present, with their areola of
bluish tint, on the sides.

Food, its character and supply, depth of water,
its chemical constituents, and other causes, modify
the tones, and sometimes effect wonderful changes
in the coloration of fontinalis ; but, take him where
you will, on a dainty fly and a light rod, which
should be an embodiment of yielding resistance,
and he will be found full of knightly qualities, —

VOL. I. — 7 oy

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

sturdy resistance to capture and keen intelligence
in resources of escape.

The habits of trout have elicited much discussion,
and no fixed rule can be laid down in explanation
of their idiosyncratic moods and traits. One
angler finds them on the shallows, another in mid
water or in the boil of rapids, and again lying in
the deepest water of the pools. To-day they are
leaping and flashing in the air, apparently feeding
on midges ; to-morrow lying perdu under sheltering
banks or rocks, darting out upon their prey ; while
next day the most tempting lures cannot entice
them to feed.

Often as the shadows are gathering over the
stream, they may be seen coming into the air with
the slow and measured leaps that a porpoise often
makes in his lazy but symmetrical, arch-like move-
ments. At such times they do not appear to feed,
and seem to be seeking the air for hygienic or
sportive reasons only.

Another interesting peculiarity, and one that
has puzzled anglers and savants alike, is that of
change of coloration under varying conditions.
It is a recognized fact that trout in dark, deep
water assume the color of it, the red spots, how-
ever, becoming more brilliant. In moderately
shallow pools, their color becomes lighter, and

98

THE TROUT'S

when feeding or lying on the light-colored sand
at the mouth of the rivulets, they assume a silvery
tint which pervades the entire body, the red spots
becoming dimmer and the worm-like markings
on the back less defined and more diffused.

The change of coloration is certainly involun-
tary, and is, doubtless, a safeguard that nature has
provided against the king-fisher, the fishhawks,
and other enemies. We have sometimes thought
the change in coloration takes place or is adjusted
through the organ of sight, for nature has so or-
dained that when a trout becomes blind he turns
black, or nearly so, and his color remains the
same on light or dark bottoms.

Trout spawn in a similar manner to other fishes
of the salmon family. The two sexes mate, and
the male is then on the watch for intruders. The
female uses her tail in making the nest, whipping
the gravel until a hole is made about two inches
in depth, and then cleans the bottom for a foot or
more around the bed. When she is ready to
spawn, the male becomes aware of the fact by
some language of their own, and approaches her.
The ova are then dropped, and the milt deposited
upon the eggs, the male being within a few
inches of his consort. Many of the eggs, how-
ever, fail to become fertilized, dropping down

99

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

stream with the current. They are partially de-
voured by cunning minnows and other fish, now
and then, who are lurking in the vicinity unseen
by the male trout, who is deeply absorbed in the
duties to which he is impelled by the spawning
instinct.

Probably not more than five per cent of the ova
dropped on natural spawning beds ever mature,
while of those raised by the improved methods of
the fishculturist, fully seventy-five to ninety per
cent come to maturity in the hatching ponds.

Unfortunately those raised by the artificial pro-
cess are generally placed, when less in size than
fingerlings, in streams abounding with their natural
enemies, and but a small percentage of these inno-
cents become yearlings, at which time they are
measurably able to take care of themselves.

The number of eggs yielded by an adult trout
depends upon its size and age. Yearlings usually
produce one hundred and fifty to two hundred and
fifty ; two years increase the number to three hun-
dred and fifty to five hundred, and older fish five
hundred to twenty-five hundred.

The general form of the brook trout varies very
much. Sometimes it is long for its depth and
sometimes short, but the average depth is about
one-fourth, or one-fifth of the length of its body.

lOO

rHE r ROUTS

The head is blunt and somewhat large, and is a
little more than one-fourth the length of the body.
It has a large mouth with teeth on the jaws,
tongue and palate bones, and a small patch on the
roof of the mouth.

The scales are numerous and very small, almost
microscopical. The tail is nearly square in the
adult, and somewhat forked in the young. The
brook trout may be distinguished from the other
charrs by the dark brown or blackish markings
on the back, which are called " vermiculations "
or " worm-like markings."

The Dublin Pond trout, Sahelinus fontinalis agas-
siziiy has as yet been found only in the water of that
name, sometime known as Monadnock Lake, and
in Centre Pond, both being in New Hampshire.
It is of a pale grayish coloration, the red spots
being very faint ; otherwise it is similar to Saheli-
nus fontinalis.

The long-finned charr [Sahelinus alpinus altpes^
and the Greenland charr [Sahelinus alpinus stagnalis)
are found only in the lakes of Greenland and of
Boothia Felix, but are supposed to exist in other
waters of Arctic America. The first takes its name
from the extraordinary length of its rayed fins, and
is otherwise distinguished by its forked tail and its
very small adipose or rayless fin. Of the Green-

lOI

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

land charr but little is known. It is not supposed
to be a distinct variety from the long-finned charr.

The Arctic charr [Salvelinus alpinus arcturus) is a
native of Victoria Lake and Floeberg Beach, Arc-
tic America, and is the most northern salmonoid
known. We possess but little knowledge of its
habits, as only a few specimens have reached our
scientific institutions. It is closely allied to the
two last named species.

The Sunapee trout [Salve linus alpinus aureolus) is
a large charr, growing to a length of twelve to eigh-
teen inches, originally found in Lake Sunapee, New
Hampshire, and since discovered in waters near
Ellsworth, Maine. It is evidently a close relation
or, perhaps, identical with the European charr,
known as the saibling, which Professor Garman
says was introduced into Sunapee Lake from Ger-
many. Layman advocates, here and there, insist
upon its being indigenous to the lake. Certainly
no fish coming to the surface in American waters
has ever found such difficulty in being awarded its
legitimate origin.

Be this as it may, we know it to be one of
the purest representatives of the charr or saibling
found in our native waters. It is a fish of excel-
lent quality, both on the rod and table, and of
unusual beauty of form and coloration. Its back

1 02

rHE rRours

is brownish, silvery gray below, with small orange
spots on sides and beneath the lateral line. The
caudal extremity is grayish, the belly of bright
orange and the anal and ventral fins are also of an
orange color with their outer edges white. There
are no mottlings on the back as appear in the brook
trout (fontinalis), which renders it easily distin-
guishable from that fish.

The Oquassa or blueback trout [Salvelinus
oquassd) is the smallest and one of the handsomest
of the charr trouts. It never exceeds twelve
inches in length, and seldom grows beyond ten.
The coloration is dark blue, the red spots small
and round and usually confined to the sides of the
body. Its habitat is believed to be restricted to
the Rangeley Lake system in Maine, although
Professor Merriam has stated, some years ago, that
fish, anatomically identical, have been caught
in the lower St. Lawrence river, weighing six to
seven pounds.

The blueback lies in deep water during the
greater part of the year, but about the tenth of
October comes near the shore and ascends in
great schools the Kennebago River for the purpose
of spawning. Half a mile above its mouth the
Kennebago receives the outlet of Lake Oquassa;
the trout leaves the Kennebago to the left and

103

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

runs towards Oquassa Lake, where its bridal voy-
age comes to an end. About the middle of
November it goes into Mooselucmaguntic Lake,
and is seen no more until October of the next
year.

The blueback resembles the Sunapee trout
more than any other of the charr species, yet
differs from it in size, spawning habits, and mark-
ings of the young. The largest blueback weighs
only a few ounces, while the Sunapee reaches ten
pounds in weight. The blueback is relatively
a slenderer charr than the Sunapee, and seems to
lack the white edges found on the fins of the
Sunapee and other charrs. There have been a few
caught in summer with angle-worms as bait, and
they have been taken with the same lure while in
schools on their spawning beds. They give the
angler the impression that the bait only annoys
them, and that they take it in an effort to drive it
away, — an influence which seems to control many
other fish when on the spawning beds.

The Nares trout [Sahelinus oquassa naresi) is
merely an allied varietal form of the blueback trout.
It has a greenish back, reddish fins, blunt and deeply
forked tail. It never grows beyond a length of
ten inches, and so far has been found only in the
lakes of Arctic America.

104

THE r ROUTS

Another charr, the Lac de Marbre [Sahelinus
oquassa marstoni), is also closely allied to the blue-
back of the Rangeley Lakes, although it reaches a
greater size and has its tail more deeply forked. Its
color is dark brown on the back with an iridescent
bluish tint, and the red spots are very faint and
apparently do not exist in many specimens, with
the exception of a few along the lateral line, which
are very indistinct. This trout has only been
found, as yet, in Lac de Marbre, Ottawa Co.,
Province of Quebec, Canada.

The Great Lake trout {Cristivomer namaycush) is
distinguished anatomically from the other charrs
by the presence of a raised crest behind the head
of the vomer on the roof of the mouth, the crest
being armed with teeth. Its head is very long,
with the upper surface flattened, and the mouth is
large ; tail well forked, and the fatty or second
dorsal fin comparatively small. The general col-
oration is dark gray, sometimes pale, sometimes
almost black. The coloration of the spots distin-
guishes lake trout on sight from the other charrs
which show red coloration, while the spots on the
namaycush are pale and grayish with often a red-
dish tinge only. It grows to a length of about
thirty-six inches, and has been known to reach the
weight of sixty to one hundred pounds, but the

105

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

average is not over seventeen. It varies greatly in
form and color in different waters. In Lac des
Neiges, Canada, it is said to be, by Professor
Garman, almost black.

The local nomenclature of this fish is more
singular and varied than that of any other species
of the salmon family. In the northwest it is the
" namaycushj' the " togue," or " tuladi." In
Maine and New Brunswick it is also sometimes
called the ** lunge." It is the " siscowet " or
" siskowitz " of Lake Superior, and in the northern
part of the lake it is generally known as the
" Mackinaw trout." In the northern part of
New York it is sometimes called " Lake salmon,"
and the Maine Indians designate it by a name sig-
nifying "fresh water cod." At Green Bay, Wis-
consin, those having salmon-colored flesh and
blackish bodies are called " black trout," those
with white flesh, " lake trout." About Great
Traverse Bay, the variety which is taken in shal-
low water, being long and slim, is called " reef
trout," and when it is larger it is known as " a
racer." Specimens of another variety, short and
chubby, are called " pot-bellies." At Grand
Haven they are known as shoal-water and deep-
water trout, and " buckskins " is the name given
them around Thunder Bay in Lake Huron.

1 06

THE TROUrS

In Canada, many local names are applied to
them, to wit : Tyrant-of-the-lake, forked-tail
trout, black lunge, silver lunge, racer lunge, black
salmon, lake salmon, and tuladi.

The distribution of this fish is widely extended,
covering the Great Lake region and lakes of
northern New York, New Hampshire, and Maine,
also those of Canada, and westward and northward
to the head-waters of the Columbia and Frazer
rivers, the streams of Vancouver Island and north
to the Arctic circle.

The trouts previously described are all charrs,
and the only true salmon trouts in the waters of
New England have been transplanted from other
sections.

In this connection the angler will be apt to
exclaim : How can we tell which is a charr and
which is a salmon trout, with so many confusing
variant forms of our favorite fish ? The difficulty
is easily solved. Put your finger in the mouth of
your fish, and if you find the vomer — a bone situ-
ated on the front part of the roof of the mouth
— flat, with teeth on its body, and behind these an
irregular single or double series of teeth, you hold
in your hand a salmon trout. If you find the
vomer much depressed, convex, shaped like a boat,
with teeth on the head of the bone and none on

107

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

its shaft, you have a charr under inspection. The
peculiar and exceptional shape of the vomer of the
lake trout has been described on a preceding page.

The introduced or imported salmon trouts are
the German or brown trout [Salmo farid) called the
Von Behr trout by the United States Fish Com-
mission, and the Loch Leven trout [Salmo leven-
ensis^, the first named having been brought from
Germany, and the other from Scotland. Many
authorities question the differentiation between
these two species, although the presence of red
spots on the brown trout, and the absence of them
on the Loch Leven fish, is a strongly marked char-
acteristic. The brown trout with its ability to,
and practice of, eating our small native brook
trout (fontinalis), has lost popularity among those
who seek for desirable fish to plant. When in-
troduced, they should be in waters where our
native trout do not live. The brown trout, like
the rainbow, are adapted to waters of a higher
temperature than our brook trout, and although
the brown trout possess no game qualities equal to
those of fontinalis or the rainbow, it may be
planted in private waters v/here the species may
live supreme, thus giving variety to the fishing.

The Loch Leven trout (Salmo trutta levenensts) was
brought from Scotland about fifteen years ago, and

io8

THE TROUrS

has been planted with moderate success in some of
the waters of the Eastern and Western States. It
takes its name from the old lake adjoining the dis-
mantled castle within which Mary Stuart was im-
prisoned by Queen Elizabeth. It is very closely
allied to the brown trout, and is a beautiful and
gracefully formed fish, and is said to be distin-
guished from the brown trout by the absence of
red spots on the body which, however, appear on
specimens more than four years old, but so dimly as
scarcely to be seen. This peculiarity of coloration
is disputed, and yet it may be another illustration
of the effect of food and environment on the color-
ing, markings, and form of fish.

The rainbow trout [Salmo irideus) is a native of
the mountain streams of the Pacific slope, where
six different species exist, all differing somewhat
widely in coloration, form, and size. The distin-
guishing mark, however, which in various degrees
of color may be seen on all the species, is a reddish
lateral band, which disappears when the fish visits
salt water.

The fish savants partially differentiate these six
species by the number and positions of the black
spots, which on many specimens are found to be
very numerous. The rainbow that has been intro-
duced into eastern waters is the species from the

109

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

McCloud River, California, known as the Shasta
rainbow [Salmo irideus shasta). It may be known
on sight by the characteristic reddish lateral band
which as a rule assumes a deeper hue in the trans-
planted fish than in those caught in the waters of
the west.

The charm of the rainbow to the angler lies in
its great game qualities, and singularly these are
displayed more prominently in the transplanted fish
than when it is captured in its native waters.

The black-spotted. Rocky Mountain or cut-
throat trout ( Salmo clarkii) is found from Alaska
to Mexico, and is very abundant in the streams of
the Rocky Mountains, the Coast Ranges, and the
Sierra Nevada of the Pacific slope. When it has
access to the sea, it sometimes attains a weight of
thirty pounds, but the average in the inland streams
will not exceed one pound.

The distinguishing mark by which this species
may be known, is the crimson slash on the throat,
hence, the name " cut-throat," which is some-
what of a misnomer, owing to the direction of
the slashes.

The United States Fish Commission have re-
cently established hatcheries for these fish, and are
distributing them to the fish commissions of the
different states. They are hardy fish and doubt-

IIO

THE TROUrS

less will thrive in waters having a higher tempera-
ture than is conducive to the health and vigor of
eastern brook trout.

By the kindness of John W. Titcomb of St.
Johnsbury, Vermont, Department of Fisheries and
Game, I am enabled to record his experience in
Vermont waters, with the rainbow and steel-head
trout. About twenty years ago a gentleman in
Rutland secured a lot of rainbow trout and kept
them in a reservoir until they became fingerlings
or, perhaps, larger. The reservoir overflowed in a
freshet, and the fish ran out into what is called
East Creek, a tributary to the Otter River. As a
result of this plant. East Creek furnished very good
fishing, two rainbow trout being caught there to
one speckled trout. The tendency of the fish was
to work down into the broader and deeper parts of
the creek, where they sometimes attained a size of
three pounds, and proved very gamy.

As the stream flows through the city of Rut-
land, the second largest place in Vermont, where
^here are a great many sportsmen, the fish have
become depleted as a result of over-fishing. A
few fish ran out of East Creek into Otter Creek,
thence up towards its source several miles, and
from there entered what is called Cold River, an-
other trout stream, where they are occasionally

III

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

caught. This is the only successful plant in public
waters.

Three years before the St. Johnsbury station was
located on Sleeper River, some rainbow trout fry
were sent in the spring of the year, just as the sac
was absorbed, say 5000 in all, and planted in the
head-waters of this river. Every spring since, a
few rainbow trout have been taken below the
falls.

Some years ago a plant of yearling rainbow trout
was made in Mad River; as a result came fairly
good fishing. In a majority of instances, the
plants produced no results, but the fish were always
put in as fry.

Senator Redfield Proctor had a pond in Proctor,
Vermont, which he stocked with speckled trout
and rainbow trout. The pond is stagnant water.
Here the rainbow trout seem to have done well
and attained good size. They are more gamy and
make better eating than the speckled trout.

Regarding steel-head trout, there has not yet
been time enough to note results. Several plants of
fingerlings have been made in Lake Champlain
during the past five years. Gratifying results have
followed the planting of fingerlings in Willoughby
Lake, a body of water four miles long and a mile
wide. Quite a number have been caught ranging

112

THE r ROUTS

from one to three pounds in weight. The natives
prefer the lake trout or lunge to eat.

Quite a few steel-heads were found in a small
stream emptying into Willoughby Lake, in May,
1900, and a field station will be opened there this
year with the hope of securing spawn.

^

iA-<v>4 iH'bvjy »C)M

^ RAINBOW smiled when
thou wert born

ro A TRour

O live, lithe gem of gorgeous hirth^
Springing from icy waters clear
To wander restless^ far and near^
Through crystal halls of liquid mirth !

A Rainbow smiled^ when thou wert born.

Or Sunset gave thee hues to keep

And weave in secret waters deep.

Till they should match the eyes of Morn.

Oh ! swift y shy nymph, thy favorite nook,
Down by the old forsaken mill.
No longer shields thee from the ill
Temptation of a fly — and hook !

Upon the surface of the stream
The bright lure takes thy brighter eyes;
The unseen angler is more wise
Than thou canst understand or dream.

Tet he, who thus deceives thy sight.
How oft himself by outward shows
Is fooled — by superficial woes.
Or barbed baits of false delight I

Ah ! once, how well thy joy shone out.
In motions musical and rich
In coloring, O Water-witch,
Soon to be only — a dead trout !

115

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

But still the line of simile
Extends een here to fit thy fate ;
A Mighty Angler lies in wait.
Eke for thy killer ^ as for thee.

No bait that Angler dangles bright
Before the hungry hearts of men.
Save a fond hope which, now and then,
They fancy is a heavenly light ;

Hope of a Life unvexed by Doubt,
By bitter Death and Sorrow sour.
Life of as much more joy and power.
As Man is more than thou, my Trout I

rHE rRour of

MOUNTAIN STREAMS

THE TROUr OF

MOUNTAIN STREAMS

IS there anything in existence more charming,
more beautiful, more replete with the har-
monies of woodland, than the splashing,
gurgling, joyous, swiftly flowing brook ? Its
waters ever suggestive of the chill of snow-clad
hills, ever sparkling in their cold, clear purity ?
Now its course dashes over rocks that break into
frosting foam the wealth of never-ceasing waters.
Again, it forms itself into a soft-flowing stream,
as it twines in serpentine coils through meadows.
Bending bushes bedeck its borders. Onward, ever
onward, it rushes, until lake or ocean welcomes its
coming.

Here is indeed the fitting nursery for the de-
velopment of that rainbow-spotted, restless, beauti-
ful life we know and love, and call the trout. Even
the tiny specimen, but little larger than the fly
with which it is captured, displays the characteris-
tics of the race. Their birthdays but mark in-
crease in weight, agility, and keenness.

119

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Erratic in every mood are these fish, from the
birth to the death. No man has learned, none
will ever know, how to account for their various
tendencies, which overthrow all reasonable theo-
ries, or manage to put together a menu of lures
which will always excite their appetite. Genera-
tions of lovers of the sport come and go, and yet
the great question never is settled. For this reason
will these illusive specimens of the finny tribe
always remain a joy to the true angler. Much
has been written, much more will be written by
able admirers, yet the humble attempt of the indi-
vidual may be excused, when zeal of admiration
is the incentive.

Many and varied have been the means and
devices employed in the capture of these royal
beauties. In boyhood, when financial embarrass-
ment was a ruling factor, a common hook and
line, a pole cut from the young tree, and a large
worm, were enough to give joy to lads who even
then became skilled in finding out the shady
places, the deep pools, and other cunning hiding
spots ; or, with the shortened line, could crawl
near to a narrowing brook and carefully, softly drop
the bait, which would be quickly taken before
the biter realized that it was not a dainty morsel,
and thus became a captive. While, perhaps, the

1 20

TROUT OF MOUNTAIN STREAMS

charm, the freedom, and enthusiasm of this pro-
cedure never loses its fascination, yet as one grows
older, with a keener wish for more artistic skill,
the interest is heightened by more delicate
methods than those employed when bushwhack-
ing them in our pin-hook days.

In early springtime, alluring little artificial flies
are not the tempters that later, in balmier air,
they become. Productive of better results is the
small line, the bait, a worm, and a single hook.
Or, at times, a worm caught up by a set of three
of the smallest hooks, on one gut, placed at inter-
vals from each other, giving the worm the appear-
ance of crawling through the water. Then is
there good sport in the taking of a fish, as only
one of the small hooks will hold him.

A cast ahead is made as the stream is waded,
and almost unconsciously are picked out what
appear to be favorable resting localities. How
cautious one becomes in the approaching, how
careful not to disturb, and to be sure to be well
hidden ; for there is no fish that swims which can
so readily and easily be startled into sudden flight,
as a trout, quietly lying in the deeper water where
the shadow of the rock gives protection, or where
tall grasses sway, wafting a feeling of security
about him.

121

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

Casting is done so that the bait drops, without
any noise, into the right spot, whether the wad-
ing be up or down stream. Many people hold
decided views upon this question, but, after all,
extreme care is the first consideration.

In quick, splashing streams, where at the foot
of a hillside the waters lessen in intensity, flies can
be cast into the seething froth itself and receive
marked attention, the fisherman standing on some
stone that gives a fair footing. Another time,
without being seen, the flies must be gently flut-
tered into a pool where, perhaps, they will be
well taken, and the creel soon filled.

A recollection of earlier days becomes vivid at
this moment. Where a shelf of jutting rock, deep
in the water, gave a sure foundation, a rest for my
back against the broad boulder, I stood immersed
to the hips in water, which to-day would cause
my death from coldness, and snapped out side
casts until my basket could not contain another
one of the little fighters.

In a stream not broadly stretched in width, it
is better to use but one small fly, waxing the wings
and body, or smearing with vaseline, so that it will
remain on the surface, and often a sudden dash
means the striking of a large fish, requiring patience
and skill before landing is accomplished.

122

TROUr OF MOUNTAIN STREAMS

The angler always finds that each and every
trout born in these trembling, chilling waters is
full of fight to the last, and often outwits all
endeavors at capture.

In the broadening stream that, strengthened by
additional tributaries, grows proudly into some-
thing more like a river, where from the banks
fishing cannot readily be done, the silent, quick-
moving canoe can be used. As it glides on its
way, one watches for either a deep pool, or, per-
haps, is fortunate in locating a spring hole, where,
if the sun shines brightly, an army of feeding
trout can be seen. The canoe can be held quietly,
protection gained from the growth of bushes or
long grasses of the banks, and the place well
whipped. The splashing of the trout that rise to
the flies only seems to incite their comrades into a
frenzy of biting, and excellent sport is the result.
Every section of fishing country abounds in such
mountain streams, all in a way different, each
bordered about by purple hills, each one having a
familiar look, each appealing strongly to the
angler through inviting pools, rapid waters, and
still-flowings, all abounding in the same marvel-
lous, dainty, strong, beautiful, fickle, elusive,
tempting, wonderful, and fascinating form of life,
well known as the brook beauty.

123

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

In the hours when the sun shines too vividly,
or when the fish are not anxious for food, come
the charm and joys of the keen realization of the
greatness and all-satisfying gifts of nature. Over
a fire which has dwindled into hot embers, upon
the sharpened joints of a pronged branch, are
thrust some of the catch that are clean, hard, and
cold. Beside their very cradle they are trans-
formed into such delicious morsels that the appe-
tite craves nothing but a sufficient quantity.
Perfection in food, and fit for the Gods ! A
stretch on the grass, and after such a repast the
comfort of a good smoke, seems too delightful
to be real. Forgotten are the weary journeys,
hardships, and all annoyances in the life of a per-
fect day like this. Body and mind rested and
strengthened, a better feeling toward all humanity
comes over us. Back to camp are taken only
such a number of fish as can be put to use. The
day has been well spent, and in slumber we enjoy
the victories that skill and patience allowed us to
gain.

%^

,<ri«^iK»r'*i

FOREST, LylKE, AND RIFER

In the hours when the sun shines tov) vividly,
or when the fish are not anxious for footi, come
the charm and joys of the keen realization ot the
greatness and all-satisfying gifts of nature. Over
a fire which has dwindled into hot embers, upon
the sharpened joints of a pronged branch, are
thrust some of the catch that are clean, hard, and
cold. Beside their very cradle they are trans-
formed into such dehcious morsels that the appe-
tite craves nothing but a sufficient quantity.
Perfection in food, and fit for the Gods ! A
stretch on the grass, and after such a repast the
comfort of a good smoke, seems too delightful
to be real. Forgotten are the weary journeys,
hardships, and all annoyances in the life of a per-
fect day like this. Body and mind rested and
strengthened, a better feeling toward all humanity
comes over us. Back to camp are taken only
such a number of fish as can be put to use. The
day has been well spent, and in slumber we enjoy
the victories that skill and patience allowed us to

" "H^HE brook with its lulling music ^
and its mantles of softer foam "

THE RUNAWATS

SUMMONS

When the reign of the Ice-King is broken.

And the sea less noisily sings,

And breezes of balmier odor

Wave over the land soft wings,

Then the truant trout trip homeward

To the streams that gave them birth ;

But a mermaid's whim has changed them

Into beings less of earth.

For the shadings, rich with many a gleam.

They have caught from the mermaid's hand.

And her smile s bright beam now make them seem

Visions from rainbow-land.

Their skins have a glossier silver.
And their fins are flecked with fire.
When they leave the warring ocean;
And full of a sweet desire.
As if for a mother s petting.
Return to their native home.
The brook with its lulling music.
And its mantles of softer foam.
O I the sea hath a mighty spell, V is clear.
But the tiny brook must be
A world more dear ; since every year.
Spring wins them back from the sea.
125

THE

ANADROMOUS rROUT

THE

ANADROMOUS TROUT

THROUGH bogs and meadows, hemmed
by dikes, encroached upon by ditches,
flows the brook, covering with its
waters and protecting amid the chil-
ling months of winter, the tender vines that later
on give forth their rich treasure of delicate
berries.

Onward in twisting curves speeds the stream
seaward, until the tidal waters of the river wel-
come its flowing. Here, in the deep holes
fashioned by the force of swirling currents through
the undermining of vine-clad banks, lie the trout,
our well beloved, red-spotted brook beauties,
rejoicing in the cool protection offered. Restless
wanderers by nature, they cannot long endure
inaction, therefore they soon desert the pool and
venture forth to see the world. At first the tiny
falls are tried. For a time they are content to
loiter in the boisterous foam. Continuing their
explorations, each dike and bog is passed in turn,
until, with a joyous rush, they disport themselves

VOL. I. — 9 1 29

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

in the waters of the broader river. The influence
of the sea now tempts them by its offer of allur-
ing and novel foods, and, yielding to its influence,
they enter upon a life of more exciting and
hazardous adventure.

The ocean has now absorbed them ; but what
they do, where they go, and what lives they lead
there, no man has found out. Despite different
theories, no adequate solution of the secret has
been offered. When the warming breath of
spring conquers the ice zone, then are these bold
travellers seen again in broad rivers and purling
brooks.

Perchance, it may be the loving memory of
earlier days that entices them, for to the rivers,
streams, and brooklets of their infancy, do they
return. Before them, with them, or soon after
them, come the vast armies of herring, seeking
seclusion for their spawning.

Now by sportsmen is the capture of the salter
attempted. Protected by high wading boots, he
approaches close to the edge of the channel in a
river, or wades a stream, and with live bait or
small pieces of fresh herring, casts into the deeper
water, allowing his line to gently pay out by
force of the current, meantime giving gentle
motion to the line. The sophisticated angler

130

THE ANADROMOUS TROUT

does not now use flies, knowing that thus early
in the season they are not well taken.

The play of the Salter is like that of all square
tails, except that his sea life has given him greater
strength, and he is not conquered readily. As the
early days merge into those of late spring, these
fish are taken far up in the stream and even at the
head waters.

The Salter is indeed welcomed most heartily, for
he opens the fishing season, and April first finds
his admirers ready, even if the air is cold and the
winds apt to show their force.

He is a charmingly beautiful fish and a strong
game ,battler.

SJLTERS

OR BROOK-TROUT THAT SEEK
THE SALT WATER

SALTER S

OR BROOK-TROUT THAT SEEK
THE SALT WATER

IN writing an article on this subject, I am
placed in a rather peculiar position for the
reason that there are so many conflicting
ideas in regard to the habits of what ordi-
narily may be termed the brook-trout, and I am
comparatively young in experience and have had
to enter into consultation with older sportsmen
in order to gain certain information which they
may have at hand, although in a great many cases
I have found that it was directly opposite that of
my own experience.

April first, trout fishing is a sport which is
enjoyed, I believe, more largely in Barnstable
County than in any other section of the New
England States. At that time the law is ofl^, and
you will see the trains, the day before the first,
carrying among their passengers many sportsmen,
and their destination you are well aware of when
you witness their luggage, for it usually consists

^3S

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

of rod and reel, besides a very large and com-
fortable grip in which is stored all the necessi-
ties for the occasion. These passengers do not
seem to be very talkative, and it v^ould be very
hard indeed for anybody to gain from them
just what their point of destination is, but their
smiling countenances and their light-heartedness
convince one at once that they are bound for
that pleasure of sports which relieves the mind
and destroys for the time being all appearances
of old age.

My first experience in trout fishing was years
ago when a boy in Connecticut, where the trout
that we took were small, very seldom measur-
ing more than six inches in length, and were
considered at that time very good-sized trout.
Those trout I took from brooks which were
shallow and rushed down through the hills, in
many places so shallow that it seemed almost
impossible for even a small trout to survive,
and finally reaching the river, but never, under
any other conditions, reaching the salt water.
My experience in Barnstable County was just
the opposite : all the brooks and rivers, small
and large, reach the salt water, usually by
direct connection; whereas in Connecticut they
emptied into large rivers and of course reach-

136

S A LT E R S

ing the sea, but I never in all my experience
in fishing in the Nutmeg State secured a trout
that I ever had any idea had been into the
salt water.

Some twenty years ago I became interested in
fishing on the Cape, or, rather, in Barnstable
County, as I believe that I have confined myself
to that section, and have secured my share of
brook-trout. It was some five years that I had
continued this fishing before an old fisherman
said to me, "You must come down sometime and
try the 'salters;'" to tell you the truth, I sur-
mised that he meant by the remark that he would
like to have me come down and do some herring
fishing, which, as you are well aware, means
simply scooping up these fish in a hand-net.
Much to my surprise, and hard for me to believe
at that time, he said that he meant brook-trout
that had lived in the salt water, and I shall never
forget the first trout that I took. It was on the
Mashpee River, and as nearly as I can remember
it now, about the middle of April. The tide was
working in, and we were wading down this river,
the water reaching nearly to the tops of our wad-
ing boots, and I was constantly in fear of the
water over-stepping them, which at that time of
year was sufficiently cold to at least make it dis-

137

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

agreeable for the fisherman. Casting ahead of
me in a deep pool that seemed to work in under
the embankment, I felt that a large fish had made
a dash for my bait, and within a few seconds I
gave him the butt of the rod, and then I can as-
sure you a royal struggle took place. Fortunately,
there was plenty of room, but unfortunately for
me I had no hand-net, and it was necessary for
me to tire the fish out before I could successfully
land him, and although it did not take me more
than five minutes, it seemed to me that it was at
least half an hour. The fish was a noble one,
and weighed a trifle over two pounds. The
water was now so deep that it was impossible to
continue fishing farther down the stream, and
wading back to the landing place, I took the op-
portunity to examine this trout closely, and there
is no doubt in my mind but that he was one of
the handsomest salters that I have taken. Possi-
bly I was carried into ecstasies over him because
he was the first trout of that kind. I studied him
closely for the reason that I wanted afterwards,
if possible, in taking trout, to decide in my own
mind whether or not they had ever visited the
salt water. From that day up to the present
time I have continued this fishing, and I believe
successfully, for my fishermen friends who have

138

SAL r E R S

been with me are, I believe, convinced of this
fact.

Now in taking up this matter at the present
time, which I was induced to do through a very
dear friend of mine. Dr. Johnson, I have done
so with many misgivings, for the reason that I
believe that my ideas in regard to trout and their
habits in these rivers will conflict with the ideas
of other notable sportsmen, but at the same time
I have made it a very careful study, and believe
that the conclusions that I have arrived at are
perfectly right, that is to say, so far as my own
experience goes. Controlling and leasing one of
the best rivers in Barnstable County, that is, the
best portion of the river, for the past ten years, I
have been in a position to make closer observa-
tions of these trout, I believe, than many others
have, but even after this close attention to the
matter, I am still at a loss to understand some
things, and up to this writing I am unable to-day
to say decidedly that I am right.

The first day of April, along the shore of Vine-
yard Sound, where these rivers empty into the
salt water ponds adjacent to and connecting with
the Sound, you will see from seventy-five to one
hundred fishermen scattered along just at the edge
of tidewater, and all of them taking more or less

139

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

trout, or what we can properly term, now,
" salters." T^here seems to be the place where
they look for them, and where they get them.
As one old sportsman writes in regard to the
habits of trout in the Mashpee River, " They
spawn in the fall, descend the river to tidewater,
go and come with the tide, and ascend the river
on or before the fifteenth day of May."

In the Coonamessett River, of which I write
and to which my close attention has been given,
I fished on the first day of April, five miles from
tidewater, and secured large and elegant trout,
and there is nothing about those trout to indicate
to me that they have ever visited the salt water.
Possibly the same day I may go to the mouth of
the river to tidewater and secure trout at that
point. Now, why is it that all trout do not visit
the salt water ? Every opportunity is afforded
them to do so.

This season, on the fifteenth day of May, ac-
companied by a friend of mine, a very expert
fisherman, I visited the mouth of the Coonames-
sett River at tidewater; starting my friend at the
bridge, which I had every reason to believe was
the best piece of fishing, I went below nearly a
quarter of a mile and entered the stream. I se-
cured four elegant salters which weighed at least

140

S A L TE R S

two pounds each, and after reaching a place where
it was impossible to wade farther, I returned to
my starting point, and hailing my friend, inquired
in regard to his success ; he said that he had taken
nothing but small trout which he had cast back
into the river. Now this was an experience
which I had not looked for, — the taking of small
trout at tidewater, — for in talking with all the
old fishermen, they all were of the same opinion,
that a trout did not visit salt water until he was
at least three or four years old, which with the
feed that they would secure would increase the
size so that they would be at least fully half-
pound trout. Leaving the mouth of the river,
we drove to the upper part of the stream, some
six miles, and my friend started fishing at that
point. I proceeded at least one mile above him,
and in casting in a shallow pool in the open I
secured a two and one-half pound trout, which I
know had never visited the salt water. The
golden hues were so prominent that I do not
believe that he had ever ventured far from the
location in which I found him; but previous to
that I have taken his mate, of nearly the same
weight.

A trout that visits the salt water goes through
a most decided change; the golden hues are gone,

141

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

and the silvery cast, which is the result no doubt
of this change from fresh to salt water, and possi-
bly the feed that they secure, may have more or
less to do with it, is a most decided one, for the
reason that the silvery cast gives them almost the
appearance of landlocked salmon ; it makes them
voracious, and there is not the slightest doubt in
an expert fisherman's mind when they take the
bait. I have never tried them on the fly at this
early season of the year, and do not believe that
they would pay any attention to it.

In conversing with quite a number in regard to
the appearance of trout, and the changes they
pass through, a great many attribute it to the con-
dition of the water at the bottom of the stream ;
but it is hard for me to believe that, after a brook
trout has been subjected to the change which he
experiences after going into the salt water, he can
change back again to his original colors ; but, as I
say, a great many differ from me in regard to this
opinion, and until I can take a trout and mark
him, and secure him again, I shall not be able to
convince my fellow-readers that this is true.

Every opportunity is offered to watch the
habits of the trout in this Coonamessett River
of which I speak, for the reason that it runs
through a comparatively open country, that is to

142

S A Lr E R S

say, through miles of cranberry bogs, and it is
what is termed "open fishing" nearly the entire
length of the river. Aside from some ponds
which exist, where the bottom is muddy, the
bottom of this river is sandy, and I believe one
of the best places for propagating trout that there
is in this country. The young fry have an op-
portunity to work up into the ditches between
the bogs, so that they evade all foes and increase
in size sufficiently to enable them to properly
protect themselves when they enter the stream.
Also, at the upper part of the stream is a narrow,
shallow brook, that is a most excellent place for
young trout, and the excellent fishing that exists
continually, from year to year, justifies me in the
belief that there are no better brooks in existence
to-day in which to propagate trout than in these
streams and rivers on the Cape. Of late years
a great deal of interest has been taken in this
direction, and I believe that the privileges are to
be more and more valuable from year to year, and
that the fishing shows no falling off.

The large trout which I have taken in the
Coonamessett River are the most beautiful that
I have ever seen, and there is not a State in New
England where I have not fished a good share
of the lakes, rivers, and brooks and secured my

143

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

share of their holdings, and I will say that for
beautiful trout I have never yet seen any that can
equal those taken on the Cape. The salmon
trout is the only one I have ever taken. The
meat is hard and pinkish in color ; many times
it reaches a reddish color, whether it be a brook
trout or Salter.

In closing this article, I will venture this opin-
ion in regard to the trout, and In reference to
those that reach salt water : I sincerely believe
that after spawning they form into schools, and
if a certain school starts for the salt water, they
go there, whether they are large or small trout;
if another school locates at a certain pond in the
brook where they find deep pools or holes in
which they think they will secure sufficient food
for the winter, they stop there. This fact I do
know, — that all trout do not, although they have
the opportunity, go to the salt water. I know
also that small trout go there, and that the age of
the trout has nothing to do with it. I am also
aware of the fact that they leave the salt water
about the fifteenth of May, and I believe in many
cases they run up the river into the ponds or
source of supply at the head. In regard to trout
changing their color from the surroundings, I
am still loath believe that it has anything to do

144

S A LT E R S

with it; but on this matter I am not quite sure,
and must leave it in the hands of others to fully
determine by investigation which may be made
hereafter, and I can assure you that the writer
of this article will continue this line of investi-
gation and, if possible, determine the truth.

^aMMu8 10 aujoa^uA 3hT

The Aureolus of Summer

THE AUREOLUS

Here resting near a giant lichen d ledge ^
Where grow tall -pines that lean fward ridge beyond ;
In waters deep enfringed with rock-ribbed edge^
Seek I for game ne er found in stagnant pond.

Down^ down amid the icy water , pure^
Where sunlight dwindles to a starlit way^
Temptation^ in the guise of dainty lure^
I casty with throbbing hope and spirits gay.

A maddened power strives now the line to hold^
Unseen^ but not unknown^ O captive stern ;
The contest waxes strong as jousts of old;
For glimpse of hidden foe my senses yearn.

Now sings the reel a song of victory ^
Now flashes forth a streak of living light ^ —
A gleaming meteor struggling to be free,
To sportsmen s eyes a vision of delight.

Alas, the glory of the lake^ its gem^
Fades y noWy in force before the fire of day,
As flowers at nightfall droop upon their stem.
Embracing death, while life-tints fade away.

147

AMERICAN SAIBLING

OR GOLDEN TROUT

AMERICAN SAIBLING

OR GOLDEN TROUT

FROM the second annual report of the
Commissioners of Fisheries, Game, and
Forests of the State of New York, 1897,
the following is quoted by permission of
the author. Dr. John Duncan Quackenbos : —

In the summer of 1882 anglers first began to
hear of the capture of a large, silvery, deep-water
trout at Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. For
several years this fish was known as the St. John
River trout, on the presumption that it was de-
scended from certain yearlings rumored to have
been introduced into Sunapee from the St. John
River, New Brunswick, in 1867, but which really
came from Grand Lake, Maine, and were ouanan-
iche. The conspicuous development of the under
jaw in the males led to the local names of
"hawk bill" and "hook-bill"; the silvery sides
of the fish in summer gave rise to that of " white
trout."

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIFER

In October, 1885, George F. Peabody, now of
Sunapee, then a resident of the East Shore, acci-
dentally came upon a mid-lake spawning-bed, an
acre or two in area, covered with hundreds of the
new trout, ranging from three to ten pounds in
weight. He promptly notified the Fish Commis-
sioners of his find, and specimens were sent to
Washington and Cambridge for identification.
They proved to be representatives of a highly
variable Alpine charr distributed through the
Dominion of Canada, Labrador, and Greenland,
but whose presence in United States waters was
unsuspected. The charr is now believed to be
aboriginal to Lake Sunapee, as well as to Flood's
Pond, in the town of Otis, near Ellsworth, Maine.
The water of both these lakes is deep and excep-
tionally pure and cold. Lake Sunapee is a true
ancient rock basin, as shown by the natural granite
dam at the outlet. It now discharges into the
Connecticut River ; but until the receding ice of
the last glacial epoch reached, in its sluggish melt
toward the north, the lower valley of the Sugar
River, the mighty inland sea of primeval times
poured into the Merrimack over Newbury Sum-
mit, sixty feet higher than the level of the present
effluent. Through the Merrimack watershed,
while the valley of the Sugar River was as yet

152

AMERICAN SAIBLING

choked with glacial ice, the quaternary trout, if of
marine ancestry, must have found their way into
this mysterious lake, following, like man and the
higher mammalia, but by watery channels, the
retreating ice-fields, and swarming into the basin
of Sunapee, excavated anew for their reception by
the erosive power of the glacier, and filled with its
melting snows. This quaternary charr or Alpine
trout — represented in the saibling of the moun-
tain lakes of Europe from Austria to Spitzbergen,
in the Dolly Varden {Malmd) on both sides of
Beering Sea, in the pygmy blue-back of Maine
(Oquassa), and in the large anadromous or sea-run
blue-back of Labrador — is believed to be the
ancestral type from which our common brook
trout is differentiated. It has simply found in
Lake Sunapee and Flood's Pond conditions for its
survival — in the purity of the water (Sunapee,
one and three-tenths grains of solid matter to the
gallon), in the depth of the water (both lakes over
one hundred feet), in the character of the bottom
(white sand and gravel), in the temperature of the
lower layers (Sunapee, 38° Fahr. to 52° Fahr., ac-
cording to depth and season), and in the abundance
of crustacean and fish food.

The distinguishing features of the Sunapee
charr are : The presence of a broad row of teeth

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

on the hyoid bone, between the lower extremities
of the first two gill arches ; the absence of mot-
tling on the dark sea-green back, and excessively
developed fins ; inconspicuous yellow spots, with-
out blue areola ; a square or slightly emarginate
tail ; a small and delicately shaped head, diminu-
tive, aristocratic mouth, liquid, planetary eyes, and
a generally graceful build ; a phenomenally bril-
liant nuptial coloration, recalling the foreign
appellations of ** blood-red charr," " gilt charr,"
and " golden saibling." As the October pairing-
time approaches, the Sunapee fish becomes illumi-
nated with the flushes of maturing passion. The
steel-green mantle of the back and shoulders now
seems to dissolve into a veil of amethyst through
which the daffodil spots of mid-summer gleam
out in points of flame, while below the lateral
line all is dazzling orange. The fins catch the
hue of the adjacent parts, and pectoral, ventral,
anal, and lower lobe of caudal, are marked with
a lustrous white band.

It is a unique experience to watch this Ameri-
can saibling spawning on the Sunapee shallows.
Here, in all the magnificence of their nuptial
decoration, flash schools of painted beauties, cir-
cling in proud sweeps about the submerged
boulders they would select as the scenes of their

154

AMERICAN SAIBLING

loves, — the poetry of an epithalamium in every
motion, — in one direction, uncovering to the sun-
beams in amorous leaps their gold-tinctured sides,
gemmed with the fire of rubies ; in another, dart-
ing in little companies, the pencilled margins of
their fins seeming to trail behind them like white
ribbons under the ripples. There are conspicuous
differences in intensity of general coloration, and
the gaudy dyes of the milter are tempered in the
spawner to a dead-lustre cadmium cream or olive
chrome, with opal spots. The wedding garment
nature has given to this charr is unparagoned.
Those who have seen the bridal march of the
glistering hordes, in all their glory of color and
majesty of action, pronounce it a spectacle never
to be forgotten.

The Sunapee saibling takes live bait readily,
preferring a cast smelt in spring, when it pursues
the spawning osmerus to the shores. As far as is
known, it does not rise to the fly, either at this
season, or when on the shoals in autumn.
Through the summer months, it is angled for
with live minnow or smelt, in sixty to seventy
feet of water, over a cold bottom, in localities
that have been baited. While the smelt are in-
shore, trolling with a light fly-rod and fine tackle,
either with a Skinner's fluted spoon No. i, or a

155

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

small smelt on single hook, will sometimes yield
superb sport, as the game qualities of the white
trout are estimated to be double those of the
fontinalis. The most exhilarating amusement to
be had with this charr, after the first hot June
days, is in trolling from a sail-boat with a green-
heart tarpon rod, three hundred feet of copper
wire of the smallest calibre on a heavy tarpon
reel, and attached to this a six-foot braided leader
with a Buell's spinner, or a live minnow on a
stiff gang. The weight of the wire sinks the bait
to the requisite depth. When the sail-boat is
running across the wind at the maximum of her
speed, the sensation experienced by the strike of
a four or five pound fish bankrupts all description.
A strong line under such a tension would part on
the instant ; but the ductility of the wire averts
this accident, and the man at the reel end of the
rod experiences a characteristic " give," quickly
followed by the dead-weight strain of the frenzied
salmonoid. To land a fish thus struck implies
much greater patience and skill than a successful
battle, under similar circumstances, with a five-
ounce six-strip and delicate tackle. The pleasure
is largely concentrated in the strike, and the per-
ception of a big fish "fast." The watchfulness
and labor involved in the subsequent struggle

ij6

AMERICAN SAIBLING

border closely on the confines of pain. The duc-
tile wire is ^n essentially different means from a
taut silk line. The fish holds the coign of van-
tage; when he stands back and with bull-dog perti-
nacity wrenches savagely at the pliable metal, —
when he rises to the surface in a despairing leap
for his life, — the angler is at his mercy. But,
brother of the sleave-silk and tinsel, when at
last you gaze upon your captive lying asphyxiated
on the surface, a synthesis of qualities that make
a perfect fish, when you disengage him from the
meshes of the net, and place his icy figure in
your outstretched palms, and watch the tropsolin
glow of his awakening loves soften into cream tints,
and the cream tints pale into the pearl of moon-
stone, as the muscles of respiration grow feebler
and more irregular in their contraction, — you
will experience a peculiar thrill that the capture
neither of ouananiche, nor fontinalis^ nor naf?iay-
cush can ever excite. It is this after-glow of
pleasure, this delight of contemplation and specu-
lation, of which the scientific angler never wea-
ries, that lends a charm all its own to the pursuit
of the Alpine trout.

In consideration of the experience which I have
had with the American saibling, I would select it in
preference to any other fish^ if I desired a salmonoid to

157

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

rear from the fry, and obtain the best results in si-ze
and percentage matured.

I most confidently recommend this charr to
the attention of State and National Commis-
sioners who are presumably interested in plac-
ing a valuable and easily propagated food and
game fish within reach of the American people.
It 1% facile princeps, from its rush at the cast smelt
to the finish at the breakfast-table.

" 'iw^i\ T.M> v.o\^v^vv\

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIFER

rear from the fry^ and obtain the best results in size
and percentage matured.

I most confidently recommend this charr to
the attention of State and National Commis-
sioners who are presumably interested in plac-
ing a valuable and easily propagated food and
game fish within reach of the American people.
It vs facile princeps^ from its rush at the cast smelt
to the finish at the breakfast-table.

'' JNVASION of thy home "

THE VEILED AURORA

'The tints of sparkling gems that gleam as flame y

The clean-cut lines that grace and strength proclaim.

The wild resistance skill alone could tame

Were thine — all thine.
In quivering throes didst thou, as if in shame.

To death resign.

'Tis Nature's law that thou shouldst thus resent

Invasion of thy home where sweet content

Spread through the lovely pond. Thy life is spent.

Thy race is run.
And we who capture thee, thy death lament.

Thou gamy one.

'^S9

THE

DUBLIN POND TROUT

'us;\usi-^Si i'5\si«h«o\ iu«'sW\$i?> .tu^Bf aMo4 wuauQ 3hT

The Dublin Pond Trout. Salvelinus fontinalis agassizii

THE

DUBLIN POND TROUr

THE Dublin Pond trout — Sahelinusfon-
tinalis agassizi, the subspecific name
after Louis Agassiz — is a sub-species
of our own Eastern brook trout, fon-
tinalis. Its color is pale grayish, with few spots,
resembling somewhat in markings the lake trout,
namaycush. It is found in Dublin Pond near
Keene, and in Centre Pond, New Hampshire, and
doubtless exists in other waters of the same State.
It formerly swarmed in Dublin Pond to the extent
that the farmers are said to have backed their
wagons into the shallows and scooped in the fish
with nets, for manuring purposes. Mr. A. H.
Thayer, an observant angler, residing in Monad-
nock, New Hampshire, has written at large to the
author on the subject of the habits of this trout.
He states :

" The young are as beautiful as a bar of mother-
of-pearl, but the adult fish, living in deep water,
are much darker ; they show bright red spots,

163

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

which are not seen on the silvery-toned young.
The latter feed in vast schools along the shallow
shores upon insect life."

These insects are evidently May flies, so-called,
as these insects are numerous at the time when the
young of the Dublin Pond trout appear on the
shoals.

Mr. Thayer continues : ** The appearance of
the young trout on the surface of the pond is very
sudden ; towards the end of some calm warm day
in the latter part of May, or the beginning of June,
we see the whole pond alive with them, and in a
few days they are found in large schools along the
shores. Their return to deep water is not as in-
stantaneous as their appearance on the surface."

This statement of Mr. Thayer indicates that the
Dublin Pond trout has similar habits to the cisco or
lake herring of some of the Western waters, which
is only seen on the surface between May 20th and
June I oth, during which period they feed greedily
upon the " drakes " and ladies of the ephemeral
May flies, the artificial imitations of which are so
highly prized by anglers, more particularly those
of the British Isles.

Mr. Thayer also states : " The trout appear
again in shallow water about September i 5th, and
remain there until their spawning season ends,

164

THE DUBLIN POND TROUT

which is usually November i st or thereabouts ;
during that time many fish are crowding close to
the shore. As a rule, young or immature fish can
be caught with hook and line during their * rising
season ' in the spring, and when they come to the
surface in the fall ; but no method of fishing can
take the larger ones, except one, now and then ;
but the aggregate of those caught in a season does
not exceed three or four. The smaller ones, from
five to ten inches, are taken, when at the surface,
in large numbers, afix)rding excellent sport on
light tackle ; yet it is useless to whip the water when
the fish are not jumping. They are, also, very
keen in * getting onto ' a cast of artificial flies,
which they will refuse, if cast for them continually
during several days. There are, however, off days,
when their intelligence seems to weaken or their
appetites strengthen, for they will, now and then,
up to the date of their retreat to deeper water,
take the fly greedily, under any conditions.

" Again, they will take a natural bait in eighty
to one hundred and twenty-five feet of water at all
seasons ; but large ones, as I have said, are seldom
caught by this method of fishing.

" Those formerly seen on top of the water are
certainly diminishing in numbers, but I am unable
to give an opinion as to the cause ; the United

165

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

States Fish Commissioner in charge of the
Hatchery at Nashua, New Hampshire, states that
it is owing to planting of large quantities of craw-
fish, locally called * fresh-water shrimp,' in the pond,
thus furnishing a full supply of bottom food."

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIFER

States Fish Commissioner in charge of the
Hatchery at Nashua, New Hampshire, states that
it is owing to planting of large quantities of craw-
fish, locally called * fresh-water shrimp,' in the pond,
thus furnishing a full supply of bottom food."

'' QING on, wild winds, amid the pine !
Wild waters, onward race!"

SONG OF THE
LEAPING TROUT

Sing on, wild winds , amid the pine !
Wild waters, onward race !
Sing what a shining world is mine —
A realm of liquid space !
Huge rocks the currents break, and shake
My flowing fields to spray —
White wreaths, as in a vessel' s wake.
Bright bubbles, full of play.
Dance on the top ; but soon each flake
Turns watery blue or gray —
Each bubble bursts — as on I take.
Up stream, my rainbow way.
Now in dark pools I love to lie ;
Now, darting, clear bright falls.
Feeling that I might almost fly
Above the woodland walls ;
Might almost be a bird and sail
Within the blue afar.
Until the golden day grows pale
And shines the evening star.
Tet glad am I, when poised in air.
Once more to tumble home.
Nor have I from my proper sphere
A truant wish to roam.
167

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Oh I how I love the frolic foam ^

The eddies' whirling grace,

T'hat ever seem in glow or gloam

Strange wefts of fairy lace.

T'he sunbeams' and the moonbeams pranks

'To me are magic spells.

And the tall trees upon the banks

Are wizard sentinels.

And full of safety is my realm.

All tempests it defies ;

The freshets which the fields overwhelm.

But bid my spirits rise.

Out of my winter sleep I leap.

My heart attuned to Spring ;

With dart, with bound, with swing and sweep,

I revel, like a king.

Sing on, wild winds, amid the pine !

Wild waters, onward race I

Sing what a shining world is mine —

A realm of liquid space !

THE

RAINBOW rRour

I ^•

^>^

itt^WYx ow\^^

Si hhT

The Rainbow Trout. Salmo irideus

THE

RAiNBoiv rRour

A NOBLE stream, born among the snow-
clad hills, gathering power from the
rivulets that joyously rush to its
• embrace on its seaward flight, pours
forth its strength through a ravine grand in
its rugged beauty. Stern are the rocky barriers
that, in their attempt to impede, succeed only in
causing a crashing into angry surgings of the mass
of waters that throw themselves in victory against
and over these battlements, — the mad and glorious
assault causing veils of tinted vapor to hover over
the scene, like fairy clouds of misty shrouding.
These natural falls are lashed into feathery foaming
where their strength is crushed against the boulders
of the river's bed, and then more even becomes
the flow. Where a sharp turn of the stream is
made, the quiet waters of a pool is formed. Here,
just beyond the mad whirl, the powerful little finny
knights in their shimmering armor of bright color-
ing love to rest. To attain a point of vantage the

171

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

searcher after sport should, with extreme care, gain
a foothold on some level rock. This task is diffi-
cult, so strong is the energy of the current. When
at last it is accomplished, a spot in the pool is
chosen where casts can be readily made with fair
chances of success.

The angler then guides the flight of his flies, so
that they rest where he deems it to be the most
advantageous. The roar of the winds that forever
sing their weird and wild greeting is but a fitting
musical setting to a drama of nature that beggars
description and holds enchanted the senses of the
looker-on. Nerved and keyed to a high pitch, the
angler will tingle and thrill when a rise is seen and
a strike is made. The trout seek to regain their
liberty by strenuous leaps for freedom. They
know not the meaning of death, and, while life
remains, beg not for quarter, as they seem to fly
from place to place. Now from the quiet waters
into the whirl, now rushing towards you, then
darting away. These tactics are alike characteris-
tic of large and small. A quick eye, steadiness,
and careful watching are necessary from the first
to the last. Even when the fish seems to be tired
out, yet must he be landed, and the sight of a net
acts upon him as an elixir that imbues him with a
new life. With no one nigh to aid, the exciting

172

rHE RAINBOW rROUT

contest will test to a marked degree, the skill and
courage of the solitary sportsman.

Rainbow trout excel our well beloved brook
trout in their salmon-like characteristics. They
are bold leapers, and fling themselves constantly far
out of the water. At no moment can we be sure
of them, certainly not until they are safe in the
creel. They exemplify the fact that environment
is often the factor that causes unusual game-like
qualities. With them existence means a necessity
for sharper struggling against danger.

In broader and smoother, but quick rivers and
in lakes, the rainbow trout show their rare fighting
qualities. Flies are taken readily and quickly, my
own experience leading me to believe the brown
hackle, the Wilson, and flies with grayish wings to
be the favorites. Much depends upon the day,
for many varieties of flies are taken well at various
times.

The small fish which frequent narrow streams
are very quick and easily frightened. Small flies
should be used, and rapid striking is essential.
Here a brown wing, or black with a little bright
color is apt to prove of most value.

Rainbow trout are being introduced into many
New England waters, and without doubt will soon
become marked favorites.

173

"7^0 crystal pool, there came
a stranger fish "

rHE STRA NGER

'To crystal pool there came a stranger fish ;
Home less J was he, tho born of opal spawn ;
Here sky was blue as nature's bard could wish.
And feathered warblers ushered in the dawn.
The waters were serene and clear and cool.
While leafing green encircled all the pool.
He was content.

Teutonic his philosophy, he basked
In plenty, gobbling all that came his way.
This happy fish no foolish questions asked.
And soon throughout the pool held kingly sway.
His vivid spots of color flashed in pride.
" 'T is joy to live — '/ is joy to live,'' he cried
In merriment.

He dodged all dangers with a sapient wink.
And saw his race increase and hardy grow;
He taught his offspring to observe and think
That life was well worth fighting for below.
Brown German Trout I Gesundheit wer du bist I
Tou thrill the soul, but tire the stoutest wrist.
When rod is bent.

175

THE GERMAN OR

BROWN rRour

ons\ ow\»^ .Tuo^ ^^^^^at^^iJ^]^^^£5.

Brown or German Trol't. Salmo fario

rHE GERMAN OR
BROWN rROUT

A RIVER, wide in its flowing, rushed
on its mission to the sea, encircling
the soft green of meadowland, in the
glorious sunlight of a perfect morn-
ing, with a radiance like that of diamonds. In
such a place and on such a day, was I introduced
to the salmon trout of foreign antecedents. I had
read of him, talked about him. Long discussions
had stirred the sultry air into a summer zephyr,
when I, a humble listener among the mighty, had
wondered who was the truth-teller of them all.
By some, this trout was considered a good game
fish ; by others, he was rated low. A few thought
that he and his Scotch friend, the Loch Leven,
were twins, and that no difference could be de-
tected between them. Some of the sportsmen
who had been fortunate enough to visit this gem
of Scottish lakes, and on its beautiful surface cast
tiny flies that seemed no bigger than an ordinary
gnat, using a leader like a thread from a spider's

179

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

web, denied, in an earnest and outspoken man-
ner, any such suggestion. When danger arose of
strong phrasing becoming too much of a factor in
the discussion, then, like good sportsmen as they
were, they quieted down and started another
argument.

My guide was a man who did not know how
to drive, and when my destination was reached,
told me he had to go back, but would return late
in the afternoon, and take me to my transient
abode. So I was left alone in a country new to
me, but safe, open, and clear. My rod was a fairly
light one. I selected for a cast a brown hackle,
a Wilson, and a Montreal, — merely to start with.
These flies were small in size.

The river was an easy one to wade, so I started
in and secured a desirable position, one where I
had a good chance to cast all about. No sooner
did the flies touch the water, than I had a rise that
argued well of good things to come. I struck the
fish sharply, and found him full of fight. His
rushes were grand ones, and after he awoke to
the fact that he was no longer a free agent, I
found he required the little skill I possessed to tire
him out, and get him within reach of my hand-net.
He proved to be in weight a little over two and a
half pounds.

1 80

GERMAN or BROWN TROUr

Again I tried my fortune, and this time was
lucky enough to strike two medium-sized fish ;
they gave me good sport, however. I did not
care to kill many, and when I had secured about
half a dozen I waded the river, and climbed out
upon the bank, seeking a comfortable resting-place
for luncheon, for I suddenly discovered that I had
developed an appetite.

Walking about a little later, I discovered a purl-
ing stream, emptying its waters into the rushing
river, and circling through a meadow enriched by
the highest grasses, waving and emerald-tinted,
that I remember to have seen. As I wandered
along the side of this charming brook, I saw
where, in its turnings, delightful pools had elbowed
for themselves a space so tempting to the angler
that I could not resist. I did not change my cast,
but laced them well, and was rewarded by many
rises. One fish was large enough to furnish quite
a long and well fought struggle, and I nearly lost
him. He made a run under the bank, and sulked
so long I surely thought he had hung my leader
on some hidden object ; but when I had almost
given up, he started again, and then I found him
tired with the strife, and reeled him easily. I
sought new pools, caught many more fish, but
carefully restored them to their charming abiding

i8i

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

place. As the sun sank behind the distant hills, I
trudged back to the place of meeting, and found
my Jehu awaiting me, sound asleep, while his
spirited animal was almost in a similar condition.
Such was my first day with the German trout.

This fish is now found in some of our New
England lakes, although I have taken none in
these waters. I have been told that good-sized
ones furnish a deal of pleasurable sport, and, for
one, I cannot understand how they should do
otherwise.

They breed well in our hatcheries, and soon, I
hope, as is the case with the other transplanted
trouts, they will be found in many of our waters.
We ought to have all the variety in sport that can
be obtained, and while, perhaps, in bringing to
notice these various newer forms of the trouts,
am I convinced my labor with the pen may
fail to arouse attention, yet I am sure that the
minute and lifelike characteristics of the fish, as
portrayed by the artist, will excite the interest I
wish to awaken. Let me say further, that my de-
sire to aid to the best of my ability any measure
that will bring additional and perhaps greater
pleasure to the sportsman, is the motive under-
lying my efforts in this cause.

I«2

1^^^^

m«*>«*i^*>\ s>\^«-\\ oflBV -Tuo^T M3vaJ hdoJ. shT

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

place. As the sun sank behind the distant hills, I
trudged back to the place of meeting, and found
my Jehu awaiting me, sound asleep, while his
spirited animal was almost in a similar condition.
Such was my first day with tne German trout.

This fish is now found in some of our New
England lakes, although I have taken none in
these waters. I have been told that good-sized
ones furnish a deal of pleasurable sport, and, for
one, I cannot understand how they should do
otherwise.

They breed well in our hatcheries, and soon, I
hope, as is the case with the other transplanted
trouts, they will be found in many of our waters.
We ought to have all the variety in sport that can
be obtained, and while, perhaps, in bringing to
notice these various newer forms of the trouts,
am I convinced my labor with the pen may
fail to arouse attention, yet I am sure that the
minute and lifelike characteristics of the fish, as
portrayed by the artist, will excite the interest I
wish to awaken. Let me say further, that my de-
sire to aid to the best of my ability any measure
that will bring additional and perhaps greater
pleasure to the sportsman, is the motive under-
lying my efforts in this cause.

The Loch Leven Trout. '^§Slmo trutta levenensis

A SONG OF
SCOTLAND

A song is sung amid the hills.
And wafted o er the mountains ;
A song that sings of sparkling rills,
Gay as the mirth of fountains,
Of perfume of the fruitful fells.
And blossom of the heather.
Of ferns that grow in dewy dells,
^he joys of summer weather.

'The sound is born of whirring wings.
Of breezes kissing waters,
Like music from a thousand strings.
From harps of wood-nymph daughters ;
Of silver forms. Loch Levens gems,
A sportmans joy, — their capture.
The brightest gleam of diadems
Could ne'er enhance his rapture.

In dainty sport we pleasure find
In all the gifts of nature.
With love alone, no thought unkind.
For every happy creature.
Where soft the air, and sky of blue.
Or gently falling showers.
Where scenes are old but ever new.
The song that dies 'mid flowers.
183

LOCH LEFEN TROUT

LOCH LEVEN TROUT

THE Loch Leven trout takes its name
from the famous lake or loch of Leven
in Kinross-shire, Scotland, to which,
if it be not peculiar, it is almost exclu-
sively linked in angling tradition.

This noble expanse of fresh water, 3,500 acres in
extent, is the property of Sir Graham Montgomery,
who leases it to the Loch Leven Angling Associa-
tion for ^1,000 annually. This company supplies
the angler with boat and oarsman at a cost of about
$7.50 a day, and pays a dividend of ten per cent
to the shareholders. The height of Loch Leven
above sea-level is 360 feet. It discharges through
the Leven River into the Firth of Forth, the mean
supply of water to the mill-owners throughout the
year amounting to 5,000 cubic feet per minute.
Its two most celebrated islands are Queen Mary's
Isle, once the abode of the Arch-Druid and favor-
ite seat of Pictish prince and Scottish king, whereon
stand the ruins of the castle in which Mary, Queen
of Scots, was imprisoned, 1567-68 ; and the Inch,
now St. Serf's, eighty acres in extent, the site of

187

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

the old Priory of Loch Leven — in remote ages, a
Druidical stronghold, in Roman days bestowed
upon the Culdee missionaries of the Cross.

Some years ago I visited this loch for the pur-
pose of investigating personally the nature and
habitat of its salmo, — the gamest fish that ever
strained rod for me. It was a case of love at first
sight ; and at the great Howietoun Fishery near
Stirling, where the Loch Leven form is bred and
dealt in, I arranged for the shipment of 30,000
eyed ova to Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. The
importation was a successful one ; the ova were
incubated at the Holderness Hatchery with slight
loss, and the fry were planted in one of my
streams at Soo-Nipi Park, by Commissioner Hodge,
in 1887. A ten-pound specimen has since been
taken.

My visit to the Howietoun Fishery was a most
interesting and instructive one. There I saw thou-
sands of the world-famed trout, from fry an inch
in length to monsters weighing from eight to ten
pounds. At this magnificently appointed hatchery,
then owned and managed by Sir James Maitland,
upward of ten million trout are annually incubated.
Great pains are taken to obtain the strongest
embryos and healthiest fry. The milt of vigorous
selected males only is used ; all eggs are eyed on

188

LOCH LEFEN TROUr

glass grilles ; and the most approved piscicultural
apparatus is employed, the proprietor having
adopted the principle that " it is of no use to hatch
unless the ova have been so incubated as to endow
the fry with strong constitutions." Age and selec-
tion are recognized as the chief factors in determin-
ing the hardihood of eggs and alevins. On the
principle that old spawners produce strong and
healthy fry, while young spawners, though com-
paratively more prolific, give being to weaker
young, the maturity of the parents is taken into
account as of paramount importance in bettering
the chance of offspring in the struggle for exis-
tence. The stock is fed on machine-minced horse-
flesh (old horses cost from nothing to two pounds
each, furnishing the least expensive provender) and
New Haven clams partially boiled, a number of
girls being constantly employed in preparing either
food. The ova of trout fed on horse-flesh are
white, while clams impart a rich salmon hue and
unwonted vigor and size both to ova and fish.
And this is but natural, since the Loch Leven trout,
among the varied nutriments afforded in its native
waters (including an abundant and constantly
renewed supply of crustacean, insect, and vegetable
food, besides aquatic worms and small fishes) feeds
largely on a water snail about one-third of an inch

189

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

in diameter, easily crushed by the teeth, and filled
with juicy meat. This reddish snail [Limnea
ovata), that inhabits the shallows near the shores,
and a sessile-eyed fresh-water shrimp (Gammarus
pulex) stand first in importance among the native
articles of diet. In new quarters, where the menu
is different, Loch Levens invariably deteriorate in
quality and flavor.

The colors of the muscles and integument also
change with change of environment. The Loch
Levens in their native habitat are graceful, silvery,
dark-spotted fish. The coloration of the back
varies as the trout matures, from greenish gray to
purplish, shot with gold. The spots are black and
ocellated, a red spot being exceptionally rare.
The adipose fin is not banded with red, nor are
the edges of the caudal tinted with orange. The
flesh is a deep orange pink ; the coloring substance
of the crustacean fare, reddened by the stomachic
secretion as by boiling, passes into the circulation
of the fish and imparts to the muscles a rich salmon
hue. Transfer to other waters destitute of crusta-
cean food disposes to a livery more like that of the
common brown trout. Loch Leven diet conditions
Loch Leven colors.

Water contains no pluckier fish than this sharp-
eyed, quick-eared beauty ; and those who have

190

LOCH LEVEN TROUT

been at one end of a five-ounce split bamboo with
Salmo levenensis at the other will be reluctant to
stoop to less noble game. He is simply incompar-
able, from his rise to the descending " teal and
red " to the finish at the breakfast-table.

Nor the least remarkable peculiarity of this trout
is its capacity for attaining an extraordinary size.
We were fortunate enough to be introduced to Mr.
George Barnet, editor of the " Kinross-shire Adver-
tiser," who exhibited to us a ten-pounder captured
by him with rod and reel, while trolling with an
Aberdeen minnow. Others of ten, eight, and seven
pounds have been taken in the loch, the largest
on record weighing nearly eighteen pounds. The
average life of a Loch Leven trout, determined by
careful experiment at Howietoun, is eight years,
seven years for males and nine for females. Spawn-
ers become sterile at eight years of age.

So capricious is the trout of Loch Leven, so in-
different to the angleworm of the hoodlum, so ap-
preciative of the most refined " casts," that where
it once becomes acclimated, fly-fishing is perma-
nently insured. Depopulation by legitimate
angling is impossible. As a result of personal in-
vestigation, I can most confidently recommend all
desirous of stocking depleted waters with the
bravest fighter of his race, and the most difficult of

191

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

extermination, because so fastidious in his tastes, to
do as I have done, and import ova eyed and packed
at Howietoun. Let the fry when hatched be
planted in waters favorable to their development,
and sport as yet undreamt-of will be obtainable,
while a most valuable food-supply is placed within
reach of the people, and for these reasons :

First, whereas these trout are capricious, they
are not in the least wary, and often rise within six
feet of the boat, so that a persistent fisher in favor-
able weather will be sure both of his sport and his
supper. Secondly, their reproductive powers are
unbounded, and where the requisite conditions
meet, viz., well adapted spawning-beds and a suit-
able supply of food for young and old, the increase
is beyond calculation. To insure all this, a rea-
sonable protection of the young fish is imperative.
State Commissioners should close the spawning
streams, and every sportsman should make it his
business to see the law enforced. Let a popular
sentiment be created against the murder of finger-
lings in the inlets, and within five years the easy
capture of two and three pound trout in our lakes
becomes possible to every fly-caster. But of all
the various forms of poaching, the wholesale
slaughter of spawning fish, exhausted by procrea-
tion and unfit for human food, is the lowest and

192

LOCH LEVEN TROUT

least excusable, and should be frowned down by
every right-minded citizen. Who can forget old
Jack FalstafFs disparaging allusion to " the shotten
herring " that had cast her spawn ? The killing of
spawning fish in the inlets of Loch Leven with
torch and spear at night depopulated the lake
to so alarming an extent as to compel the passage
of various acts imposing the severest penalties, and
to-day the practice has been virtually discontinued,
together with poaching and netting of all kinds.
As a consequence, Loch Leven literally swarms
with trout ; 20,000 have been taken with the fly
alone in a single summer. Be it remembered that
three or four dozen good spawning fish, under
proper protection, would contribute this number.
If we estimate 1,250 eggs to every pound of net
weight, the enormous injury to the fishing re-
sulting from the slaughter of even a very few
spawning trout may be approximated. Moreover,
so many enemies have the fry, that a noted Eng-
lish authority, Mr. Andrews of Guildford, reckons
the loss at ninety per cent, when fry are turned
into the lake with larger fish ; hence the impor-
tance of protecting them in the streams, from which
they will not venture into open water until, as year-
lings four or five inches in length, they are capable
of caring for themselves. In two years after

VOL. I. 13 I^J

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

planting, Loch Leven fry began to tell on the rod
fishing ,• not frequently they attain a weight of one
and a half to two pounds in the first two years of
their life.

The ordinary British trout [Saimofario) abounds
in Loch Leven ; but its flesh is neither so high-col-
ored nor so delicate, and it does not attain the size
of its famous congener, rarely weighing two pounds.
Between this trout and the specific Loch Leven
there are essential points of difference. I am of
opinion that the Loch Leven trout is a distinct
species of Salmo from the yellow fario that inhabits
every burn and fattens in every mill-pond in Scot-
land. I regard it as the descendant of an anadro-
mous fish that was sea-going within the present
century ; its silvery coat is an infallible evidence of
a migratory habit. Sea fishes originally had access
to the loch ; flounders were caught there almost
within the memory of living men ; and there can
be no doubt that this fish, which inhabits the Forth
to-day, ascended annually from the Firth, before
the age of dams and bleacheries, to spawn in the
inlets of Loch Leven and feed upon its luscious
Crustacea. Tradition credits its presence in other
Scottish lochs to the fathers of the church, who,
being restricted to a fish diet during many days of
the year, were active in planting choice food-fishes,

194

LOCH LEFEN rROUT

among them this deHcious sea-run trout from
Loch Leven and the toothsome grayUng from the
continent.

The fry that were hatched from the ova im-
ported in 1887 certainly did not develop into
Salmo Jario, for a brown trout had never been seen
in any of the lakes or brooks of the Sunapee sys-
tem. But so like are the young and adult Loch
Levens to our landlocked salmon, that many anglers
believe a Loch Leven trout is often fast, when
the exciting cry of " Salmon ! salmon ! " from
the fishing fleet greets the first frenzied leap of a
supposed ouananiche pierced by the lucky steel.
One Scottish authority unhesitatingly declares
the Loch Leven trout to be a landlocked salmon
dwarfed to its present proportions in its shallow
miniature ocean. But I believe it to be a land-
locked sea trout. With its purplish gray back,
and silvery sides starred with X and XX spots,
it so closely resembles the well-known migra-
tory Salmo trutta, that foreign experts commonly
fail to distinguish between the two fish. The
fin-ray formula is identical in each. Moreover,
sea trout that have been confined in fresh water
are absolutely indistinguishable from the true
Salmo levenensis.

The theory that the differences observable in

^9S

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

the two trouts of Loch Leven are due to differ-
ences of food or residence is hardly tenable.
Every one is aware that trout, by the divine
law of adaptation, instinctively put on the tint
that harmonizes with their environment. I have
known our American brook trout entirely change
its coloration in twenty minutes. But no one
ever heard of a trout's losing all his fighting
qualities on running from a lake into a brook ;
or, on returning from brook to lake, of exchang-
ing his round, red, haloed spots for black crosses,
doubling the number of his cascal appendages,
modifying his fin-ray formula, altering the shape
of his maxillary, and generally refining his form,
pointing the rounded extremities of his tail, and
doffing the red tips of his adipose fin, — a mark-
ing never lost by the brown trout ; as soon
believe the saibling of Sunapee will become a
brook trout, if taken up Pike Stream and fed
on grasshoppers, or that a Chinaman will lose
his almond eye and musky pig-tail by swapping
his native diet of rice for Yankee crustacean
salads. Both species of trout live side by side
in Loch Leven, subjected to precisely the same
influences. Why do not all lose their silver
and stars (if all are brown trout), and why are
not all structurally the same ? Dr. Parnell, Yar-

196

LOCH LEFEN TROUT

rell. Sir John Richardson, and Dr. Gunther have
answered these questions by pronouncing Salmo
levenensis an independent species.

But finally, dear brother of the angle, and
most effectually, there is as much difference
between the killing of one of these sublime fish,
and the suffocating of an ordinary brown trout,
as there is between the conquest of our ouananiche
and the potting of a sucker. In full view of the
castled isle of Mary Stuart, one casts his delicate
flies, deftly knotted on the most invisible of gut.
As he floats toward the suggestive ruin, the scenes
in Queen Mary's eventful life flit before him, —
from her youth, whose rare beauty is immortal-
ized in the Orkney portrait, to the beginning
of the end, when, charged with complicity in
the murder of Darnley, she was committed to
Loch Leven Castle in 1567; to her escape the
following spring with the aid of " Little Doug-
las," who yielded to the power of her resistless
charms ; to the revolting murder that closed her
career in 1587, and the agony so inimitably
expressed in the livid pallor and contracted
features of the Abbotsford painting of the Queen's
head- after decollation — but, look ! that gleam
through a wave's crest ! Instinctively your
wrist turns, and the barb of your tiny hook is

197

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

set in the lip of a pound-and-a-half Loch Leven
trout. The moment you have dreamed of for
years has come at last ! Be cautious, for your
tackle is refined to the utmost, and your iish
is the prince of finny diplomats ! His first rush
is toward the drifting boat. ** Catch the pirn ! "
cries the watchful oarsman, and in response you
reel madly on the slack, and lead your fish suc-
cessfully across the bow. Then, in a succession
of leaps that would do credit to a Salmo salar^
he dashes into the eye of the northeast wind
behind the floating skiff. His object is thus
figuratively, as well as literally, to get to the wind-
ward of the angler. But, mindful of Dame
Juliana's caution, you keep him ever under the
graceful arch of your five-ounce, until, his last
mad bound from the water made, his last wintle
over, he lies superb in the death-glisk, amid
the encircling meshes of the Highland gillie's
landing-net.

And now that he has so skilfully taken your
fish in out of the wet, untie your boatman's
tongue with a draught of Campbelton and Isley
blend, for he has " gang gizzen " with the
excitement, and you would fain have him " glib-
gabbet " for awhile in bits of folk lore. For
every hillside, each wood, each ruin has its tale,

198

LOCH LEFEN TROUr

and you long to make them speak of prehistoric
ages, of the thousand years that intervened be-
tween the landing of the Celt and Julius Caesar,
when the Arch Druid was absolute in the land,
— even of the stone men who preceded the Celt,
and whose remains and implements are imbedded
in the caves and river strata of Britain. Your
eyes have lifted from the cast to the distant
mountains, as if they would indeed find voice
and satisfy the craving. " There 's a lovely one,
sor ! " growls the oarsman, disgusted with your
pre- occupation, risen while you were dreaming
of by-gone years. A flash of bluish silver
beneath the flies, like the sudden blaze of a
Brazilian diamond, and that is all. He has
recognized the sleave-silk and feathers, and has
glanced past, on the wind, in pursuit of the genu-
ine Culicids. Let him go. " You are not
greedy, sor," says our boatman. We have had
our share, more than our share, for many an
angler spends days at Loch Leven, awaiting favor-
able weather, without killing his single trout,
and our take already, as announced in the " Glas-
gow Herald" of June 30th, is ten fish, weight
eight pounds twelve ounces.

As we plod our way at evening toward Harris's
Hotel in Kinross, the sights and scenes about

199

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

US recall Tannahill's picture of the closing Scot-
tish day : —

" Beneath the gouden gloamin' sky,

The mavis mends her lay,
The redbreast pours his sweetest strains,

To charm the lingerin' day;
While weary yeldrins seem to wail.

Their little nestlings torn,
The merry wren, frae den to den,

Gaes jinking thro' the thorn.

" The roses faul their silken leaves,
•^ The foxglove shuts its bell.

The honeysuckle and the birk

Spread fragrance thro' the dell.
Let ithers crowd the giddy court

Of mirth and revelry,
The simple joys that Nature yiel's
Are dearer far to me."

THE TOGUE'S
REMAR KS

I am stubborn^ I am sulky.
But my appetite is good ;
So Vm under weight but seldom,
'though I'm rarely understood.
For my moods, they differ greatly :
In the summer I am still;
While, in early days of springtime.
My emotions make me thrill.
At my jumping I'm a stunner.
And no angler can seduce,
^ill I get right good and ready.
When — / often slip a-loose.
/For I know a thing in rushing.
When I wish to let off steam,
Vm a wonder ; yes, by thunder,
Vm a college-football-team.
Tes, I know a thing in rushing.
Know just how to break a line ;
And, for clinging to live bait, sir.
Who can match the knack that ' s mine ?
So I often fool those " Waltons,''
As they think they have me sure.
When I'm simply, of a rumpus.
Playing soft my overture.

20I

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Some day, may be born a sportsman
Who at once will know my game.
Beat me always ; and, moreover ,
When^ alas I at last, I 'm tame.
Being weighed out dead, that Villain
Oh ! the shadow of the shame I
Oh ! sad gloaming of my glory ! —
Then may even change my name ;
Or may tell his friends a fable
How he caught me " on the fly ; "
But I now, a simple laker.
In advance that boast deny;
And if he would only meet me.
Face to face, in water, why,
I would give him in his gullet,
Deep as to his lungs, the lie !
Not with flies am I caught often ;
Reason why, Vm far too "7?y."

A LAKER

OR THE ^UICK AND
THE DEAD

The Togue. Cristivomer namaycush

J LAKER

OR THE ^UICK AND
THE DEAD

FROM the records of many cases of alco-
holism, the strong fact is elicited that al-
ways in the individual, when at recurring
periods an excess of stimulant causes a
striking change in the mentality and personality,
yet each time are the same symptoms produced.
It matters little how many years have elapsed
between the occurrence of such sprees, alcohol
in any form will give rise only to well-marked
peculiarities of sensation, motion, speech, halluci-
nations, and irritative nervous disturbances. I
crave pardon of the reader for dipping thus into
professional experience, and do so only in order to
bring out the thought, that if men are thus domi-
nated by abnormal conditions, so in their turn and
in their own way are fish influenced by the state
of the waters, the methods of capture, the lure
used, and the season of the year. No better illus-
tration occurs to me than the statements which
follow, showing how utterly diflferent is the action

205

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

of the same fish when his changed environment is,
more or less, a controlling factor. I shall divide
these memories into two chapters, recording my
experience with the familiar chap called the togue
or laker, which is sometimes, I fear, passed off as
a brook trout by imaginative sportsmen when
relating the size and weight of a catch.

CHAPTER I— THE DEAD

It is several years since I was first introduced to
the togue. A friend, a good-hearted, generous,
and delightful sportsman, informed me, while I
was at his camp, that in a lake some four or five
miles away there were plenty of togue to be taken ;
and he even went so far as to trust to my care and
keeping a rod as strong and beautiful as that used
for salmon, but much stiffer. The reel was a
large one, with plenty of line. He also gave me
a weird and strange combination of hooks, in clus-
ters of three, some twelve in all, I think, strung
on a strong, stiffened gut, at varying distances, on
which I was instructed to fasten a live minnow.
I knew nothing at all about the togue or laker,
and, asking for information, gained these points :
The fish in this lake are large ; they take the bait
fiercely, and then dive to the bottom with a quick

206

A LAKER

run, where they sulk for a time, and from whence
they have to be coaxed to the surface.

I started with a supply of provisions, as two or
three days would be required in which to conquer
this variety of fish, and there was a log cabin,
merely, to provide shelter at the other end of my
trip. I confess I was a bit frightened at the pros-
pect of the fray. My route lay through a beau-
tiful forest, where the fallen leaves made walking
most agreeable, and where the effect of sun rays,
filtered through the network of brilliant green,
thrilled me with keen pleasure as my eyes rested
upon the blending of sunlight and shadows. A
rippling brook, flowing over moss-grown stones,
provided a sparkling, satisfying draught, and the
happy chirping of feathered warblers, or the crash
of an old-time monarch of the forest, the echoes
of its fall pervading the still air, broke any monot-
ony that might have existed. Thus the new camp
was reached safely.

After rest and refreshment, putting my tackle
together, and selecting a good-sized live minnow,
I affixed it to the mass of hooks, and, seating my-
self in a fairly comfortable boat, was pulled out
into the lake by the guide. I tried to remember
my instructions in all details. A good length of
line was let out, and then I waited. Suddenly a

207

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

sharp pull was felt. I struck deep and hard, and
away went the line, my reel singing its joyous
whirr. Now, thought I, a big one has my min-
now. But he never seemed to reach bottom, nor
anywhere else, and as most of my line had gone,
I had the guide stop rowing, and even then, not
feeling any decided movement at the end of the
line, began to reel in, and after a deal of labor
found I had caught, strongly and well, an old
water-logged trunk of a tree. It took a long time
to get free; but I renewed my bait and started over
again. This time I did get a fish. Truth com-
pels me to relate that he did go to the bottom and
hump himself a bit ; but he was " dead easy " to
reel in, to lift into the boat, and to kill.

I discarded my nightmare of a study in hooks,
and my guide constructed a contrivance of three
single hooks, that held a live bait securely. I
caught togue — had to catch them in order to
have food-supply ; but I never found one that
gave a decent fight. I grew tired of them ; ate
all I could, began to hate them, and had the
guide make pan-cakes out of flour as a substitute
for them. Once two togue were taken, from the
same minnow, each being caught by one of the
hooks spoken of, but it was only a haul ; neither
had any nerve, and both were pulled by hand

208

A LAKER

into the boat, for I did not trouble to use the
net.

So this sort of thing went on. One afternoon
a terrific thunder-storm broke, and most of the
rain seemed to fall on me, which only made my
disgust the stronger. It was late in June ; the
flies never bit better or more smartly. By way of
recreation, I did have fifteen minutes' fun with a
trout which was kind enough to take my trolling
bait. It was a godsend, and I enjoyed both
catching and eating it.

But my hate grew stronger every hour ; every
togue sulked, made no decent rush, and was utterly
stupid. So I gave it up and went back to my
camp, where I could have splendid, glorious trout
fishing. I vowed I never, never would be fool
enough to try any more togue fishing ; and for
some time afterwards, if I heard togue or laker
spoken of as being in such a pond or lake, I
rushed elsewhere. Such was my introduction to
and deductions regarding the laker.

CHAPTER II—rHE ^UICK

Early in springtime, so early that the water
itself seemed to the touch as if it ought to be
frozen instead of being fluid ; the air bracing ;

VOL. I. 14 209

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

the winds strong in their blowing ; power,
endurance, and skill requisite in the guide who
managed the canoe. A phantom minnow pro-
vided with only one hook, or a live minnow or
strip of pork on a single hook, with sometimes
a flashing spinner just above the bait, served as a
taking attraction. Trolling with two rods proved
to be exciting sport, and while I naturally wished
for landlocked salmon, I secured a fine laker.
But I did not know my old acquaintance. In
the chilled water, he was a fish of a different color
and mood. Baits were strongly taken, and his
rushes resembled those of a favorite and noted
football hero. Proudly would he tear about, at
times shaking his head fiercely in his attempts to
get free. He cared less for the bottom than he
did for the middle of the lake, and equalled the
landlocked fellows in his wild turnings. If he
had only learned in his young life to make a leap
from the surface, it appeared to me his gamy
battling would have nearly equalled that of the
" little salmon." So I had to change my mind
utterly, for now I was perfectly willing to class
him with game fish, and I believe he is such
under the favorable conditions I have pictured.
I like him now as much and as fervently as once
I hated him ; but I should not try to capture him

2IO

A LAKER

when the water grows warmer, or the air is too
balmy ; for then would I be sure that only the
sulky, lazy, pulling - back, humping capacities
would manifest themselves, and that I might be
tempted to swear, and of a surety lose valuable
time. ** Experencia docet."

ANGLING

IN CANADIAN WA7ERS

ANGLING

IN CANADIAN WATERS

AT the head of the American angler's
list of fresh-water game-fishes stand
those species of the salmonidae which
*- thrive the best in cool, clear, crystal
waters, such as are nowhere on the American con-
tinent cooler, clearer, or more crystalline than in
the Dominion of Canada.

The various members of the salmon family are
conspicuous amongst the finny tribes, as well for
the quality of their delicious flesh as for their
splendid fighting powers, elegance of coloring,
and symmetry of form ; but more so than any
others of the family is the Salmo salar, or common
Atlantic salmon, which Cuvier has appropriately
placed at their head.

For some time after the European settlement of
North America, salmon abounded in the Hudson,
the Connecticut, and almost all the more northerly
streams flowing into the Atlantic. The fish wealth
of these rivers, which had survived the supposed

215

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

destructiveness of the aboriginal inhabitants, could
not long endure the higher civilization of the Pil-
grim Fathers and their descendants, and the salmon
of the New England streams have gone the way that
was to be later followed by the American bison.

Nothing but their greater inaccessibility has
preserved many of the Canadian salmon rivers
from the same spoliation. Those whose banks
have sustained many generations of settlers are,
in several instances, as devoid of salmon as the
Connecticut. This is specially true of all the
tributaries of the St. Lawrence west of the Jacques
Cartier ; for a century ago all these streams, as
far as the head of Lake Ontario, were salmon
rivers. The extinction of the king of fishes in
other Canadian waters would have followed that
already described, but for the efforts, in more
modern times, of the legislatures, fish- wardens,
pisciculturists, and fish and game protection clubs.
In view of the awakening of the public conscience
to this important subject in recent years, there is
reason to look for the restocking of some of the
fished-out salmon rivers, both in Canada and the
United States ; while the criminal exhaustion of
existing salmon waters can never occur, except
through such malfeasance of office as our present-
day enlightenment is scarcely likely to permit.

216

ANGLING

The Canadian rivers in which the sport of salmon
fishing is practised by anglers, are found among
those which flow into the Gulf and lower part of
the river St. Lawrence, into the Bale des Chaleurs,
or the Atlantic Ocean. The governments of the
different provinces of the Dominion, in virtue of a
judgment of the Imperial Privy Council, claim to
be the owners of the rights to the salmon fishing
in all navigable waters, apart from those within
the limits of lands originally granted by crown
patents to their first holders, together with the
right of fishing in such waters. This claim is
contested by the riparian holders, and it is prob-
able that in time a test case will be taken to defi-
nitely settle the question, as many American anglers
have paid large sums of money for lands border-
ing upon famous salmon streams, in the belief that
the tenure of the property carries with it the right
of fishing in the waters included within its limits.

Almost all the more accessible of the salmon
rivers in undisputed possession of the different
Canadian governments are under lease to clubs
or individual anglers. These leases are transfer-
able, and a few of them are now in the market.
Most of those still unleased are extremely difficult
of access, such as those flowing into the Gulf of St.
Lawrence from the interior of Labrador, near the

217

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

western limit of the Straits of Belle Isle. Though
badly poached for some years back, there are many
salmon in these streams, which could be largely
increased in numbers, by careful guarding of the
rivers for a short term of years.

Fortunate is the angler who owns the lease of a
Canadian salmon stream, or who can secure a few
days' fishing in one. His sport is that of kings.
His companions will almost certainly be men and
women of culture and refinement. His surround-
ings are the most beautiful that a God of Infinite
Beauty in all His created works has devised for
the terrestrial enjoyment of those of His favored
creatures who have eyes to see and to appreciate
the beauties of Nature and the benign goodness
of the Creator.

Let us recall some of the glories of the scene
of a Canadian salmon fishing expedition, and a few
recollections of the stirring incidents of the sport.
We have ascended the river for four or five miles
from the village at its mouth, the novice and I,
each in his own canoe, with a couple of Micmac
Indian guides, one in the bow, the other in the
stern. The character of the river is so changeable
that birch-bark canoes are discarded by its fisher-
men for the stouter and more substantial craft,
built of wood, and known as a Gaspe canoe, from

218

JNGLING

the place of its manufacture. The guides are sup-
plied with both paddles and poles. In a very few
minutes we are beyond the tidal water, and shortly
afterwards pass the last signs of civilization, our
passage, thereafter, being an avenue of which each
side is formed of forest-clad mountain, sloping to
the margin of the river. The water of the river
comes from countless springs, and is so perfectly
filtered by the gravelly nature of the river-bed and
surrounding country, that it is clear as crystal,
every pebble at the bottom of the stream being as
clearly visible at a depth of forty feet of water as
if only separated from us by a sheet of glass.
Quite abruptly the bed of the river, which was
nearly fifty feet below us a moment ago, now rubs
against the bottom of the canoes, and the Indians
have dropped the paddles, and standing up in either
end of the canoe are forcing it against the current
with all their might, their long poles stuck into
the gravel or pried against the rocks of the shallow
channel. So the journey goes; the Indians some-
times wading through shallow passes, where the
canoes scrape the bottom, and driving the some-
what heavy craft directly up picturesque rapids of
half a mile or so in length, where the water is
carded by angry rocks into white and fleecy foam,
and where, by dint of muscular effort and judi-

219

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

cious employment of brain and pole, the guides
succeed in fairly forcing the canoes up perpendic-
ular falls of water over the large scattered rocks
of the rapids. At every turn of the constantly
winding river, new beauties of scenery are re-
vealed, and sometimes a salmon pool is passed,
where the water is disturbed as little as possible,
since it may be fished on the morrow.

Salmon pools are discovered at times in the
most unlikely places, while many probable-looking
holes or rapids are found to contain none at all.
Why the salmon select certain pools for their
resting places on their way up stream to their
spawning grounds, and reject others which appar-
ently fulfil exactly the same conditions, is one of
those things that nobody can understand. In the
river we are now visiting, and in some others in
which the water is equally clear, the fish are so
plainly visible that it is not difficult for close
observers to locate some, at least, of the salmon
pools. On many of the north shore streams, and
on some of those of the south shore, such as the
Restigouche, for instance, the water is not nearly
so clear, and the fish are only distinguishable in
the pools with great difficulty, and sometimes not
at all.

Some of the salmon in the pools we have passed

110

ANGLING

took alarm at the passage of our canoes, despite all
our precautions, and shot by us to another resting
place. We did not fish any of the pools so far
described, having resolved that the novice should
enjoy his first salmon fishing in the best pool of
the river, where the fish were not only most abun-
dant at the time, but where the large extent of
beach offered special advantages for fighting and
killing them when hooked. Here the pool is of
large extent, or rather, there are two adjoining
pools. The upper one consists of the tail of a long
rapid, where the water, though oily and strong in
current, gradually deepens to the level of the bed
of a narrow gully, forty feet deep, walled in by
perpendicular rocks, less than thirty feet apart, and
protruding slightly above the surface of the water.
The gully itself, a hundred feet or so in length,
forms part of the pool, and immediately below it,
where the river widens out to nearly two hundred
feet in extent, is the lower pool, extending to the
head of the rapids some distance away.

The novice is a past master in the art of trouting,
and has nothing to learn from anybody in the
matter of casting a fly {ox fontinalis. Yet he mod-
estly declines to be the first to cast over the hundred
and fifty salmon that are plainly to be seen resting
in the lower pool, fearful that he may alarm them

221

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIFER

and spoil the day's sport. While I endeavor to
hook him a fish in the upper pool, Narcisse
Lambert, one of his Indians, makes a few prelim-
inary casts in most admirable manner in the other.
There may be other novices at the sport, or intend-
ing salmon fishermen, to whom a description of the
tackle used in angling will be interesting. That
with which Narcisse is whipping the pool is one of
the most dainty that is employed upon Canadian
salmon rivers. It has already done good service
on some of the north shore streams, in the hands
of the New England friend by whom it was lent
for the present expedition. The rod, than which
none could be more delightful for salmon casting,
is a split bamboo, fifteen feet long and weighing
twenty-three ounces. I must confess that the kill-
ing power of so light a salmon rod somewhat
surprised me, though when a fish of over thirty
pounds takes to sulking, it is tedious work attempt-
ing to force him with a rod so light as this. The
reel for salmon fishing must hold at least a hun-
dred yards of line, and more if possible. The
casting line should be as good as money can buy,
and ought to be able to stand a strain of ten pounds
dead weight. The names of the principal salmon
flies are known to all familiar with the literature
of angling. Canadian rivers are no exception to

222

ANGLING

the rule that the standard varieties are the most
reUable. The Jock Scott, Silver Doctor, and Black
Dose proved the best killers upon the river in
question. The vt^ater being comparatively low and
warm, the fish in the pool paid scarcely any atten-
tion to the Indian's casts. After many fruitless
efforts, however, and two or three changes of the
fly, — for of course only one fly is used in salmon
fishing, — the screech of the reel and the sudden
bend of the rod told of a fish fast to the line.
Everybody rushed to see the novice play his first
fish. It did not take long. No sooner had he
taken the rod in his hand than it straightened as
quickly as it had bowed a minute before, and the
line came back minus the fly and half the casting
line. My friend had forgotten all his reading up
on the subject in the pages of Wells and Forrester,
and the others, and all the verbal instructions that
had been poured into his ears, and in the excitement
of his first salmon had grasped both line and rod
together in the hollow of his hand, with the inevi-
table result that something gave way. The same
angler is not very likely to repeat an error of that
kind, and the next fish that took his fly was prop-
erly killed by him in fairly good time, and weighed
thirteen pounds. I had the good luck to hook
another fish for the novice, which he killed on my

223

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

English greenheart rod, in short order, though it
weighed twenty-one pounds.

The best piece of sport that the novice had dur-
ing his first campaign against the salmon was the
killing of a foul-hooked fish weighing thirty-one
pounds. It was hooked near the adipose fin, and
took nearly three hours to kill. Even at the end
of that time, the Indian who gaffed the fish waded
forty feet into the river and secured it in three feet
of water. It seemed to me at the time that three
hours was too much time to spend over one fish,
but even with a rod over thirty ounces in weight,
I have spent close upon two hours in killing a foul-
hooked fish of thirty-six pounds, and over an hour
and a half in bringing to gaff one of twenty-five
pounds.

It is difficult to imagine keener sport than that
afforded by the playing of a freshly run salmon ;
that is, one which has not been long in the river
from the sea. In some of its long runs to escape
from the hook and line which hold it captive, it
takes all the line from the angler's reel, and he
must follow it along the shore, or through the
water, if he is unable to do so in a canoe, or submit
to the loss of his fish and part of his tackle as
well. Often in its wild leaps for liberty, will the
gallant fish not only break water many times in

224

ANGLING

succession, but vault several feet into the air. This
is well calculated to bring the angler's heart up into
his mouth, and no fisherman who has had thirty
pounds of Sahno salar leap into the air at the end
of his line in the endeavor to get free, is ever likely
to forget the experience.

Large prices are paid for the leases of some
of the Canadian salmon rivers. Mr. Ivers W.
Adams of Boston purchased the riparian rights
of the famous Moisie River, early in 1901, for
$30,000, and then, to make sure that the Govern-
ment would not interfere with him in the exercise
of those rights, made an arrangement to pay it
$2,500 a year for the rental of its own alleged
rights, without prejudice to his own. The Moisie
is a broad, deep river, producing very large salmon,
and affording fishing for several rods. Fish of
over forty pounds in weight have been taken out
of it, and despite the large amount of netting done
in its estuary, as many as three to four hundred
fish have been taken from its waters in one season,
by rod and line, of an average weight of eighteen
to twenty pounds.

In the St. John River of the north shore, one
hundred and forty-eight salmon have been taken
by anglers in less than a month. The rod and
line fishing of this stream is now leased to Mr.

VOL. I. 15 225

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

James J. Hill, the St. Paul railway magnate, for
$3,000 a year.

The better part of the pools in the Godbout are
private property, and in four weeks a party of
anglers killed five hundred and nine fish in them.
One angler is known to have killed over forty
salmon in one day in this river, though an average
of one or two per day satisfies most anglers, and
three, four, and five per day is considered excellent
fishing. Sometimes there are several blank days in
succession, and anglers have been known to whip
the water faithfully for ten days or even a fortnight
without securing a single fish ; and this in rivers
like the Restigouche or the Ste. Marguerite,
known to abound in salmon. Three fish, weigh-
ing respectively, thirteen, fifteen, and seventeen
pounds, killed one morning before breakfast on
the Trinity River, north of the Gulf, in the
summer of 1897, ^^^ ^ memory of my most
enjoyable hour and three-quarters of sport with
rod and line, in a good many years of angling.
What burnished silver could flash and dazzle in
the sunlight with the opalescent hues of the
smallest of the trio, fresh from the sea, and what
racehorse ever more valiantly struggled to pass
the winning post than this salmon did to return
to his salt-water home, when finding himself

226

ANGLING

impaled by the barb concealed in the gay deceit
which had lured him to his doom ? Only the
foresight of my half-breed guides in having the
canoe ready to receive me at the foot of the
pool enabled me to save both fish and tackle,
for from the moment that he felt the hook, he
never paused in his mad rush for the sea, until
he had led us a chase of nearly half a mile.

There is a limit to everything, however, even
to the space that I must occupy in this book,
and since salmon fishing is by no means the only
sport that awaits the angler in Canadian waters,
I am compelled to pass over an intended account
of the salmon club of millionaire anglers, having
its headquarters on the far-famed Restigouche ;
a more lengthy reference to the Cascapedia, in
which H. R. H. the Princess Louise is credited
with killing a fifty-two pound salmon, and the
fishing of a portion of which is leased for $7,500
a year ; some notice of the Nepisiguit and other
famous salmon rivers of New Brunswick ; and a big
bunch of advice to salmon fishermen, or rather to
those who ambition to become such, which is per-
haps, better, after all, unuttered, since experience
in salmon fishing, as in so many other afl^airs of life,
is a much more efi^ective teacher than precept.
If I were asked what kind of fishing most nearly

11']

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

approached to salmon fishing in its methods and in
the sport which it affords, I should unhesitatingly
reply in favor of the angling for my old friend the
ouananiche, or fresh-water salmon of Lake St.
John and other far northern waters. I have
known him and loved him these many years,
though frequently he has matched his cunning
and agility against mine and worsted me in the
struggle. He is a plucky, open, fair-fighting op-
ponent, by whom it is no disgrace to be beaten.
And so when the salmon pools are too far away,
and the necessary leisure to reach and fully enjoy
them is wanting, I find the best substitute for
salmon fishing when I have set up my trout rod
by the roaring rapids of the Grande Decharge of
Lake St. John, and dropped my cast of flies upon
the oily, foam-flecked water eddying round the
rocks or birch-bark canoe. So violent are the
rapids, so heavy the water, that it is scarcely safe
to fish from a canoe with less than two guides.
Very often the ouananiche swimming around the
pools amongst the rapids, watching the opportu-
nity to snatch the files entangled in the foam, keep
so near the surface of the water that their dorsal
fins protrude from it like those of a school of
sharks. If the fish are on the feed, a judicious
cast of the > angler's lures is likely to secure an

228

ANGLING

immediate rise. As in salmon fishing, the ouan-
aniche angler will often best succeed when his
fly is somewhat below the surface of the water.
Sometimes, like the salmon and large brook trout,
the ouananiche will impale himself upon the
hook without any assistance from the angler. It
is always safer, however, to strike, as in trout
fishing, when a ouananiche is seen to rise. Here-
in is the principal point of difference between
angling for salmon and for ouananiche, for every
salmon fisherman knows that to strike when a
salmon rises to his fly is simply to drag the fly
away from him.

As soon as a ouananiche is hooked the angler
knows all about it. There is not a moment of
uncertainty. " Almost before you have ceased
wondering at the length of line that is being run
off your reel, a bright, arched gleam of silver darts
out of the water a hundred feet away from your
canoe, as suddenly as an arrow shot from bow, and
deliberately turns a somersault three or four feet
up in the air. If you are a novice at the sport,
or he has taken you unawares, you may never see
him more. If he managed, by his superior dex-
terity and cunning, to get the slack of the line, he
probably shook the hook from his mouth and is
free. If, in your excitement, you gave him the

229

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

butt too quickly, you perhaps tore the hook out
of his delicate mouth. Or, matching his agility
and strength against the endurance of your casting-
line or the pliability of your trusty rod, he has
made shipwreck alike of your tackle and your
happiness. Sometimes his leaps are made in such
rapid succession that you are fighting your fish
alternately in air and water. At others, if he be
a large fish, he goes down and sulks like a salmon
from the sea. His different methods of defence
would appear to indicate that he possesses the
combined finesse of the salmon and the bass.
When impaled upon the hook, he has not infre-
quently been known, in the course of hi§ prodi-
gious leaps, to alight in the bottom of the angler's
canoe. . . . Whatever the cause may be, there is
a vast amount of difference between the sport
afforded by different specimens of the fish, often
even when they are similar in size and taken out
of the same water. Occasionally, but not often,
unless it be a very small one, a ouananiche may be
hooked and landed without having leaped out of
the water at all. Others, again, and sometimes
heavy fish, content themselves with leaping and
struggling hard and valiantly, but without run-
ning out much, if any, line from the reel. These
are, of course, exceptional cases ; and the angler

2JO

ANGLING

who has had any extended experience of the fish,
who has fought and killed any large number of
them in the heavy waters of the Grande Decharge,
will know something of the many-sidedness of the
sport, and be ready to concede that at least the
pleasurable emotions which it causes the angler
cannot well be exaggerated. In the vicinity of
these rapids, the fish can know nothing of the
life of indolence and luxurious ease that conduces
to enervation and effeminacy. The very excite-
ment and unrest of their surroundings render
inactivity impossible to them, while the physi-
cal exertion necessarily employed in their constant
struggles amid the mighty forces of those turbulent
waters insures for them the possession of that
courage, agility, and strength that make them the
recognized champions of the finny warriors of
Canadian waters. In proportion to their avoirdu-
pois they can do more tackle-smashing than any
other fish that swims. Their leaps are prodigious.
Habituated to overcome obstacles to their prog-
ress up-stream by throwing themselves over them
through the air, their skyward somersaults and
aerial contortions, when hooked, leave the angler
little leisure for contemplation while the struggle
is in progress. When it is understood that a
ouananiche of five pounds' weight will frequently

231

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIFER

leap three feet or more out of water in his
endeavor to get free, and perhaps a dozen times
in succession, some idea may be formed of the
skill that is necessary to bring him safely to the
net."

In the charming Introduction to the book from
which the above extract is taken, — The Ouan-
aniche and its Canadian Environment, published for
me by Messrs. Harper and Bros., in 1896, — my
old angling companion and friend, Lt.-Col. Andrew
C. A. P. Haggard, D. S. O., says of the ouan-
aniche: "Such is his elasticity, the India-rubber,
gutta-percha, racket-ball nature of his backbone,
that he resembles Rudyard Kipling's description
of the * Fuzzy Wuzzy ' of the Soudan. Like that
Hadendowah Arab, the ouananiche is distinctly an
* India-rubber idiot on the spree.' "

Some anglers fish for ouananiche with grilse rods,
and I have even seen salmon rods in use on the
Grande Decharge. I have killed a three-pound
fish on a rod weighing less than four ounces,
though I believe the best sport in ouananiche
waters is to be had with one of about seven
ounces. With a rod of this weight there is no
need whatever for the automatic reel recommended
by some fishermen. The best flies for ouananiche
differ with the seasons. When the fish make their

232

ANGLING

first appearance in the mouth of the southern feed-
ers of the lake, and around its shores, as soon as the
ice has disappeared, they rise to large lures, such as
salmon flies tied upon number 4 and number 5
hooks. The brown hackle, the professor, the
grizzly king, and the queen of the water in large
sizes will also be found useful at this time.

The fishing usually commences in the Grande
Decharge about the i oth or i 2th of June, and con-
tinues good for the remainder of the season, which
lasts till the 1 5th of September. For the first week
or two, the ouananiche take the same flies in the
Decharge as those mentioned above for the earli-
est spring fishing. They should be reduced in size,
however, as the water grows clearer and lower,
and the temperature of both the air and the water
becomes higher. In the latter part of July the
ouananiche has become an epicure. He wants
the daintiest of flies, and wants them in small sizes
too. The General Hooker, B. A. Scott, Reuben
Wood, and hare's ear are good flies, in small sizes,
for late ouananiche fishing.

Ouananiche are found in many of the rivers of
Labrador, including the Hamilton, which flows
into Hamilton Inlet. The majority of these are
very inaccessible, however, though the large north-
ern feeders of Lake St. John, such as the Peribonca,

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

the Mistassini, and the Ashuapmouchouan, may be
ascended for hundreds of miles in birch-bark
canoes, with Indian guides, with the certainty of
enjoying excellent sport in their waters.

Many other varieties of fish are to be had on
these canoe trips. Monster pike (Ksox lucius) inhabit
all these rivers, and the pike perch [Stizostedio?i
vitreum) is almost everywhere met with hereabouts.
Enormous lake trout [Sahelinus namaycush) thrive
in the lake expansions of these rivers. Almost all
the more northern streams contain a whitefish,
closely allied to, if not quite identical with Corego-
nus clupeiformis ^ or the whitefish of the great lakes
and of commerce.

In the inland waters of Labrador, the whitefish,
which farther south rarely takes the angler's lures
at all, is readily caught on the artificial fly, the
May-fly having been found quite successful for the
purpose. This exceedingly handsome and pala-
table member of the salmonidae is found in large
numbers in the Grande Decharge, often schooling
with the ouananiche, and taking the same flies.
The finest tackle is needed for it, and when hooked
it aflbrds splendid sport.

The large gray or lake trout, already referred to,
called by the French-Canadians queue fourchee or
forked tail, grows to a very large size in Eastern

234

ANGLING

Canada. In Lake Superior it is known to exceed
fifty pounds in weight. In Lake Metis it exceeds
thirty pounds. It attains a similar size in Lake
Nepigon. It grows just as large in the lakes of
Labrador, and in some of the waters of the Lake
St. John region, notably in Lake St. Joseph and
Lake Tschotagama. It has been known to take a
fly in the waters north of Quebec, but this is quite
a rare occurrence, and has only been noted early in
the spring, when the ice was but just disappeared.
As soon as the water grows at all warm, the laker
seeks its lowest depths, and is only to be taken by
deep-water trolling. The line must be long and
weighted with heavy sinkers. Minnows and spoon
bait are found to be the most successful lures.

Of the fishing for brook trout [Sahelinus fonti-
nalis) to be had in the Dominion of Canada, several
large volumes might be written. Both the habits
of the fish and the manner of its capture being
exactly the same in Eastern Canada as in the East-
ern and Northern States, there is no reason for
consuming valuable space in the description of them
here. The enormous size to which some of the
species attain in the cold northern waters of Canada
is, however, worthy a passing notice. Only in
Maine, perhaps, are such monster brook trout to be
found as those to which I have reference. Eight

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

and even nine pound trout have been taken out of
Canadian waters, and there are stories of very
much larger ones which I have been unable to
confirm. The Nepigon in Ontario, and the Bat-
iscan, the Jacques Cartier, Kenogami, and Lake
Edward in Quebec, as well as the Montmorenci,
the Ouiatchouan, the Jeanotte, and the Moise
rivers, are amongst the most favored waters for
large brook trout this side of the international
boundary.

Lake Batiscan, on the Triton Tract, has yielded
several fish from eight to nine pounds in weight,
in the spring of the year, to American anglers,
many of them, it is true, taken upon trolling lines,
though there are fishermen who claim to have
taken equally large ones here with the fly, in
some cases the large coarse fly known as the
Moose tail, and looking much like a tuft of that
animal's hair. This fly is principally used for
trolling behind a boat on a long line, some dis-
tance below the surface of the water.

Undoubtedly very large specimens oi fontinalls
are taken every autumn in the Moise and other
waters of the Triton Club, on the ordinary trout
fly, and immense trout, running from four to
seven pounds each, in the brilliant coloring of
their spawning livery, fall victims to the fly rod-

11,^

ANGLING

ster's skill as often as the summer rolls by, in
many of the outlets of large lakes, where the
monsters, which have sought secluded depths dur-
ing the July and August heat, repair early in
September to seek out the gravelly stretches of the
rippling water's river-bed, whereon to gratify the
burning instinct of procreation. The Ouiatch-
ouan, which is the outlet of Lake Bouchette, and
the Jeanotte, which carries off the waters of Lake
Edward, afford the observer excellent illustrations
of the autumnal habits and spawning operations
of some of the largest specimens of the speckled
trout known to exist in their native haunts. It
would be interesting to pursue this subject at
greater length, but memory interposes the re-
minder that this book is intended to be something
more than a treatise on the brook trout.

The flies that are most successful in the trout
waters of Eastern Canada are the Parmachenee
belle, the professor, the grizzly king, Jock Scott,
silver doctor, brown hackle, queen of the water,
claret, fairy, and coachman. There are many
others, of course, with which I have had good
success, but I have mentioned my favorites in
what I sincerely believe to be their general order
of merit, though, of course, some localities call for
a different arrangement of the list. The Parma-

237

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

chenee belle is almost always a good first choice,
and one of my favorite casts has, in addition, either
a grizzly king or professor and a silver doctor or
Jock Scott.

It would require more space than is devoted to
the whole of this paper to tell of all the attractive
trout waters of this portion of the Dominion.
Scarcely a lake or stream is to be found in north-
ern Quebec or the Provinces down by the sea,
which does not contain fontinalis. Many have
never yet been visited by white men, or been
whipped by the angler's flies. Many more are
leased from the Government for the sport which
they afford the angler, by American rodsters.
There are many more procurable on similar
terms. Non-resident anglers, who are not them-
selves lessees of fishing privileges, or members of
clubs leasing such privileges from the Govern-
ment, may fish in any unleased waters, the prop-
erty of the Crown, upon payment of the license
fees of one dollar per day, or ten dollars for the
season, which fees are expended for the protection
of fish and game.

Closely allied to the brook trout, if not a mem-
ber of the same species changed in coloration and
general appearance, by its habit of anadromy, is
the Canadian sea trout, which runs up into the

238

ANGLING

salmon rivers and other coastal streams to spawn,
returning to the sea for the winter season. This
very gamy fish affords quite as much sport to the
angler as the grilse, and is no way inferior to a
salmon of equal size. It rises to the salmon fly,
frequents many of the streams in which the sal-
mon spawn, and is also captured in their estuaries
and along the neighboring bays. As this grand
fish is a notorious eater of salmon spawn, the
owners of salmon waters are often glad to accord
permission to their friends to fish their rivers for
sea trout, after the salmon fishing is over. Those
who may not be fortunate enough to enjoy an
invitation of this kind may secure this excellent
sport in several of the Nova Scotian rivers, in
some of the Gaspe streams, in many of the bays
on the coast of Labrador, and in the vicinity of
Tadoussac, at the mouth of the Saguenay. July
and August are the best months for this fishing.

Many varieties of coarse fish abound in Eastern
Canada, but in a land so highly favored as this
with the best and highest types of game fishes,
they obtain but slight recognition from anglers,
though some of them would be highly prized in
localities less richly endowed by Nature with a
wealth of the higher forms of fish life, as viewed
from the standpoint of the angler.

n9

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

The chub, the pike, and the pike-perch of
Canadian waters attain to very considerable size,
and the two latter, which occasionally claim the
Angler's attention, are made the subjects of special
monographs in another part of the present work.

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TROUT FLIES

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HOW TROUT TAKE

THE FLT

AMONG the most interesting features
of trout fishing are the apparent dif-
fering traits of character shown by-
trout at different times.
It sounds oddly to speak of traits of character
in fish, but that is the way in which their various
actions impress the close observer ; sometimes they
are angry, sometimes they sulk, sometimes they
play : perhaps all their actions (when they are not
dashing around impaled on a hook) are caused by
hunger, by the instinct of catching prey for food ;
but it is an interesting question whether trout,
when they strike with their tails at flies in the
air, are animated by such an instinct of hunger,
following a habit developed from that instinct, or
whether they simply do it in sport, — the wanton-
ness of their innate liveliness. For that they do
at times spring out of the water and slap at the
fly in mid-air with their tails is the fact, although
many may doubt it. The trout often do it on

243

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

the Beaverkill ; in this I am corroborated by Mr.
J. S. Van Cleef, of the Willewemoc Club, who
throws a graceful and far-reaching fly. In a
letter to me dated December, 1879 (December's
a good time to write about fishing), he says he has
often seen a trout strike with its tail at a fly or
insect ; that they never do it when they are " on
the feed," but they often do so in the middle of
the day ; and he thinks he has seen them turn
and devour the flies after knocking them under,
and that they only do it when they are not
hungry. Mr. Prime, in his delightful book " I
Go a-Fishing," states in several places that, as a
rule, trout, in taking an artificial fly, strike it with
their tails before they attempt to take it. And he
has since repeated, over his own signature, that his
opinion, based on many varied observations, is
that trout more frequently strike with the tail,
and anglers often strike an instant too soon, mis-
taking the blow of the tail, and the dash of the
water over the fly, for the grasp of the mouth.

But many who have gone a-fishing are not
aware that trout have any such peculiarity ; they
know that the latter are a capricious and festive
fish, and have often watched their antics and
capers when they seemed to turn full somersaults
every time they rose to the fly ; trout at such

244

HOW TROUr TAKE THE FLY

times have seemed the most difficult to hook, and
it has been with the sportsmen an exciting en-
deavor to hook the fish by the angler's wrist-
knack ; and they have done so, perhaps, in various
parts of the body, and frequently in the tail ; but
it never struck them that the trout might use his
tail to get the fly into his mouth, and the idea of
the accomplishment of such a thing would appear
like a trick of legerdemain (if slapping a fly with
its tail would be called a sleight of hand in a
trout).

Ordinary trout which are hungry make straight
for the lure ; they have always been known as
bold biters ; feed them with worms attached to a
bookless string, and the trout always come head
on to the bait; and under most conditions trout
seem to bite naturally, the tail having nothing to
do with the operation ; so these unobservant
fishermen conclude that, while they may have
seen an elephant poke food into his mouth with
what some persons have supposed to be his tail,
or have seen John Chinaman chuck his food into
his mouth with a chopstick, or a dexterous Jap
toss up an object with his foot and catch it in his
mouth, they never have seen a trout knock a fly
into his mouth with his tail — never ! This is
undoubtedly literally true; but the real question

245

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

is whether trout strike the fly with their tails
before they attempt to take it with their mouths.
I have seen them take the fly in just that way.
The trout would turn over on the top of the
water, slap the fly with his tail, and I have in-
stantly caught him with the fly in his mouth. I
have caught many that way ; and there comes
back to my mind's eye and ear a pool below a
twelve-foot dam on the Dry Brook in Delaware
County, New York, where, late one summer after-
noon, I laughed with glee at the constant recurrence
of this acrobatic feat on the part of the trout, and
at the sound of their tails as they slapped the water.
They did not strike the fly into their mouths ;
but striking and sending the fly in one direction,
the trout would curve his head around from be-
neath, in the opposite direction to the tail, almost
in a circle, and very like a capital C or G.

Ordinary trout are not always hungry, and or-
dinary trout usually act in a different way every
time. Sometimes they play base-ball with the fly
with their tails, knocking it into centre field, while
they make a home run, and sometimes they are
" caught on the fly," as it were, by their tails, or
again by their mouths ; and then they '11 bump
their noses against the fly, and push it away, or
they will take it, and spit it out at you, notwith-

246

HOIF TROUT TAKE THE FLY

Standing all your wrist-knack, or they will come
up and look at it, and laugh at you ; and I have
known them to come up like lightning, two feet
out of water, turn a full half-circle, and come
down head-first, and pounce on the fly as it lay on
the surface of the water. It did not take any
wrist-knack to hook them then (this was in Wille-
wemoc Lake), but it did take several trials for me
to learn to keep my hand still for a second after
that lightning flashed, until the trout could turn
and get down on the fly ; at first I jerked the lat-
ter away too quickly, but after I watched a little,
I caught a good many in just that way.

Then again, they will not bite at all. I have,
in the clear pools of the Big Indian, at low water,
seen twenty trout together at a time, all lying
motionless, head up stream, and I have put fly and
grasshopper and cricket and worm under the nose
of each one, and they were not " bold biters," and
did not come head on to the bait. The most I
could elicit was a faint wag of the tail ; it seemed
to me a sort of wag of recognition ; these trout
were evidently in a waggish humor.

The fact is, that the only thing that you can
count on in a trout is, that you can't count on him
at all.

I do not say that, as a rule, trout strike the fly

247

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

with their tails ; but I agree with Mr. Prime so
far, that I have often seen them do so, and instantly
thereafter get caught in the mouth.

One would have trouble in deciding this ques-
tion so as to please both sides. The evidence
must be merely of a negative character, unless the
witnesses should be speaking of the same particu-
lar trout. One man says he has seen trout play
cricket, and catch themselves out ; others say they
have not seen any such game played. The weight
of evidence on either side, therefore, must depend
a good deal on who gives it. The testimony of a
man who has been, for twenty-five or thirty years,
fishing for trout in all sorts of places and under all
kinds of circumstances, whose eye has been trained
by constant use in the woods, would be worth
more than that of a beginner in the art.

As remarked by a writer in " Forest and Stream,"
there is nothing so remarkable, however, about a
trout's flopping a fly into its mouth with its tail, as
there would be if the fly had flopped the trout
into the fisherman's mouth, or the fisherman had
flopped the trout into the fly's mouth, or the tail
had flopped the fly into the fisherman's mouth, or
the fly had flopped the tail into the trout's mouth,
or the flop had flied the mouth into the trout's tail,
or the tail had flied the flop into the trout's mouth,

248

Hoir rnour take the fly

or the fly had flopped its tail into its own mouth,
or if the flop had flipped its head into the trout's
mouth, or if the trout had flopped its head into
the fly's mouth.

Shoo Fly !

In fact, it has been urged that analogy would
lead us to expect that a trout would flirt a fly into
his mouth. For does not every ten-year-old
country boy know that a swallow uses its tail to
flip gnats and other insects into its mouth.? A
hawk or an eagle uses its claws for the same pur-
pose, and a monkey its foot. Now has it not
been demonstrated by proof as clear as logic can
deduce from conjecture, that man is the develop-
ment of a monkey, and a monkey of a fish ? We
should, then, naturally expect a trout to use its
tail just as a man his hand, or a monkey his foot.

Another view of the question worthy of notice
is, that the trout is a dainty, lordly fish, and, like
a true sportsman, scorns to take his game in any
other way than on the wing, unless he be very
hungry. When he sees a fly lying still, or skipping
along on the water, he strikes it with his tail to
make it rise (in hunting parlance, flushes it), and
then catches it ; he would no more think of catch-
ing a fly on the water than a sportsman would of
shooting a bird on the ground.

249

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

It might be well, in view of the rapid extinction
of trout going on all over the country, to lay down
a new rule that all true gentlemen sportsmen should
scorn to hook their fish in the mouth ; that the
really artistic and scientific way is to hook them
in the tail, and that no gentleman would take such
an unfair advantage as to take two chances (head
and tail) on the poor fish.

But let us put on a little pinafore, made by
another writer in " Forest and Stream."

" Salmo fontinalis is a roaring soul,
As free as the bird on high ;
His energetic tail should be ready to nail
The ar-ti-ii-cial fly.

His tail should flop and his body curve,
And from this plan he should never, never swerve ;
His eye should flash, and his fins protrude.
And this should be his customary attitude."

Be glad if, when you are fishing, some trout,
frenzied with hunger or desperate after repeated
failures, does not, with one mighty rush and slap,
shoot your fly into his throat with such force that
he swallows himself tail end first. Rather may
you have the experience of " Sancho Panza," of
Mifflinton, Pennsylvania, who went fishing on the
first of April, and penned this result to the same
breezy paper :

250

HOJF TROUT TAKE THE FLT

HOW THE TROUT SEASON OPENED

Having read in your paper
How the trout take a fly,
On the first day of April,
We thought we would try.
If the weather was fair,
And our health did not fail.
To see if a trout
Really " bit with his tail."
So Ned and myself,
With fly-rod and reel.
Struck out for a stream,
Each to fill up his creel ;
But when we arrived
On the north of the hill.
We discovered the snow
Was lying there still.
And to make matters worse,
The wind blew a gale.
And the trout would not bite
With their head or their tail.
But while fishing a pool.
Now what do you think ?
One came to the surface
And gave me a wink ;
And in order to please him,
I threw him the fly.
And he actually jumped up
And bit with his eye.
251

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

But notwithstanding the humorous view of this
scientific fact, a well settled fact it remains. Many
experienced fly fishermen have observed it in our
Salvelinus fontinalis ; and Mr. Livingston Stone,
United States Fish Commissioner, in March,
1 88 1, wrote, over his own signature:

" There is no longer any doubt that the Cali-
fornia trout, at least (Salmo irided)^ uses its tail
intentionally for the purpose of disturbing and
examining any unusual kind of food which it
finds on the water. Long continued observation
has confirmed this fact beyond a doubt."

So, hereafter, when you go a-fishing, let me ask
you to observe that trout often (not always) strike
at the fly with their tails. Close observers will
occasionally see a trout come out of the water, and
hit with its tail a natural fly, striking it down to
the surface ; the trout will then drop into the
water head-first, turn, come up, and eat the fly.
Probably bait fishermen will laugh at this — but
then bait fishermen seldom see a trout alive.
After a man has used his eyes for twenty years, or
even less, in the wild woods and on mountain
streams, his eyes get so that they see distinctly
many things, — paths without a trace, shadows,
motions.

252

HOfF rROUr TAKE THE FLY

" With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling.
And here and there a foamy flake,

With many a silvery water-break
Above the golden gravel ! "

to all of which he was blind when he first began
to hold communion with nature.

Happy the man who is so familiar with her
that he can say, with the old Massachusetts poet,
Jones Very:

" The bubbling brook doth leap when / come by,
Because my feet find measure with its call ;
The flower that on the lonely hillside grows
Expects me there, when spring its bloom hath given ;
And many a tree and bush my wandering knows.
And e'en the clouds and silent stars of heaven."

•^^A>=?>>

FLT FISHING

AND THE REASONS WHY

FLT FISHING

AND THE REASONS WHY

FLY fishing is a delicate art, and all art fas-
cinates because the true artist never arrives,
but ever strives. Skill in the handling of
the rod is essential to real enjoyment in
fly fishing, and the sportsman who learns to use the
rod properly may, with practice, constantly improve
his form, adding distance, accuracy, and delicacy to
his casts as time goes on.

Not the least of the pleasure of fly fishing, and
upon which much depends, is a knowledge of the
fly book. I am a firm believer in the standard
makes of flies, and have little faith in the belief
prevalent among some fishermen that one or two
flies each of the four hundred varieties made, are
necessary to insure success in Maine trout fishing.
There are times when the fish will take anything
that is thrown to them, no matter how it is thrown.
They will rise within ten feet or forty feet of the
canoe ; they will take a delicate cast, and they will
jump for a fly that strikes the water with the force

VOL. I. 17 257

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

of a stone ; they will take the fly under water or
on the surface with equal eagerness ; but these
times are exceptional, and such fishing is not sport,
not real pleasure.

Taking fishing the season through, day in and
day out, skill in the use of the rod and a fine
sense of judgment must be exercised. Personally
I am a great lover of the brown and gray hackles.
Not the palmer, but the brown hackle with a
green silk body wound with gold, and the gray
hackle with a gray silk body wound with silver.
I am insistent upon these little, and what some
may consider unimportant, details. I have experi-
mented extensively, and have no use for the hackles
with peacock bodies, and, generally speaking, I care
little for the palmers, though at times they are
good killers.

Here is an incident : On one occasion in partic-
ular I was fishing with a Parmachenee belle and
a brown hackle of the kind mentioned. It was the
only fly of the kind I had in my book, and when
after a time I lost it, I put a peacock-bodied
hackle in its place. Up to that time I had been
taking a trout on the hackle at every second
or third cast. With the appearance of the new
fly, the trout stopped rising, except occasionally to
the Parmachenee. I tried other flies in the book

258

FLT FISHING

without success, and then determined to make a
test, paddled to camp, got more hackles, and re-
turned to the fishing grounds. Immediately the
trout began rising as they had done previously.

This and other similar experiences have con-
vinced me that there is a vast difference in fiies,
and that one cannot be too particular in their se-
lection. Taken the year round, the Parmachenee
belle is a great killer, but there are times when it is
useless. The Montreal is a great summer fly, and
early in the spring the silver doctor has often stood
by me well. The gray-winged flies I like to have
handy, and the Parmachenee beau will work often
when others fail. During the period of what is
known as the trout fly, a large green-winged fly
with brown hackle and a yellow body will kill ;
but at other times in the season it fails to provoke
a rise. A white miller, yellow May, and red ibis
are flies which I have found would call forth big
ones when every other fly in the book failed, and I
should not think of going into the woods without
them, although, perhaps, I might not use them
but once or twice in a season. There are other
good flies which sportsmen, from experience, have
learned to value, or which they will gradually fall
in love with.

As regards fishing. The trout is a peculiar

259

FOREST, LJKE, AND RIVER

fish. Little fellows are heedless, and the more
bungling the cast, the more readily they rise for
it. My explanation is this, — the unusual splash
attracts them, but it frightens the older and more
wary trout, who know a real fly does n't light
on the water with any such blast of trumpets.
I have seen two men fishing from the same boat,
on practically the same ground, changing posi-
tions from time to time, and one took fish weigh-
ing four to the pound, and the other's catches
ranged from half a pound to a pound and a
half. Why ? Simply because one man was
thrashing the water, and the other's flies were
alighting as soft as air. Positively no other
reason.

I have seen a man fish a pool in vain at a
distance of ten yards, and then seen the same
fisherman try his luck with sixty-five feet of
line, and pull out good ones at every cast. Why ?
Simply because in the first case he was too near
the pool.

Trout in quick water will often refuse to take
a fly moving up stream, but will jump for it
eagerly when it floats down past their retreat on
the current in a natural way. Early in the spring,
flies should be trailed at a depth of two inches
under water, later, on the surface, simply because

260

FLY FISHING

before the presence of natural flies the trout do
little rising.

I know several deep pools overhung v^ith
alder bushes. One may cast direct into these
pools by the hour, and skill will count for noth-
ing. But make a cast so that the flies will catch
lightly upon the bushes, let them rest for a
moment, and then jerk the line gently so that
the flies will fall from the bushes into the
water, and a trout is a certainty. Why ? Sim-
ply because the trout lie under those bushes
waiting for insects to fall from them in a nat-
ural way. Any other method makes them
suspicious.

I have known the back belly fins of a trout
to take fish when every other bait, artificial or
otherwise, failed, and a trout's eye is sometimes
effective. Early in the spring, just plain salt pork
danced up and down on the water will often
call forth the big ones ; but the sportsman will
never resort to these methods unless the larder
positively demands it.

I do not believe in record catches. Seven
trout is the largest number I have ever killed
at one time, in spite of repeated opportunities
to kill a hundred or more. Fish enough for my
personal needs is my motto. I never catch fish

261

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

for others, believing that if the fishing is to last,
it must be carefully protected.

My suggestions are purely those which my
personal experience has taught me to rely upon
in the Maine waters I fish, mostly the smaller
lakes and streams, some of them often visited
and others unfrequented. Trout, as I have found
them in Maine, are much the same, no matter
where they are ; but their surroundings make
different methods necessary.

^

A FEIV

FACrS AND FANCIES

A FEJV

FACTS AND FANCIES

SALMON go down stream tail first, only
when descending heavy rapids or going
over a dam. This is for protection, as
the power of a salmon lies in the tail,
which is used at such times as a feeler. In still
water, deep water, and in eddies, they go down
stream in the usual way, head-first.

When a salmon has been caught in a net, this
is plainly shown by an exterior mark around the
gills, made by the mesh ; moreover, the tail will
be found to be split, caused by the thrashing about
of the fish in its struggles to evade capture.

Even when a fish has been salted and dried, it is
possible to determine whether it was taken in a
trawl, as by this manner they remain some time in
the water, and the blood settles along the back-
bone, showing as a dark line, whereas, if caught by
line, being quickly secured, no dark marking

ensues.

265

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

In rod fishing, a salmon is both attracted and
irritated by an artificial fly that is kept in motion
above the spot where he is resting. The fly is
never taken, in my opinion, as a food.

Much depends upon the state of the waters, as
regards the fly to be used. If one does not care
to purchase a larger number, as they are naturally
expensive, I think the following will give entire
satisfaction : Jock Scott, silver doctor, silver gray,
and black douse.

The netting of fish in a salmon river affects, to
a marked and dangerous degree, any fly fishing.
The weirs do but little harm, and with netting
abolished, heavy fines and imprisonment being
enforced among the law-breakers, the record of
salmon taken with rod and fly will increase ten-
fold in a very few years.

Trout are fond of salt. A bag of rock salt that
will serve also as a light anchor dissolves slowly in
the current, and cools and flavors the water for quite
a distance, causing the fish to be attracted to the
locality.

Trout, also, at times, can be lured into taking a
fly, when the ordinary casting proves of little value,
by smearing the body and wings of a fly with vase-

266

A FEW FACrS AND FANCIES

line into which has been well rubbed as much
sugar as possible. A certain quantity of this sweet-
ened and oily mixture is washed out, and seems to
attract the iish, who paid but scant attention to the
ordinary flies that were thrown.

Curiosity is a factor that now and then is of
especial importance, so we can take advantage of it.
I have seen a fly, badly worn and torn, with little
streamers of tinsel and worsted waving in free ends,
destroying all the original beauty and neatness, be
the one that was taken in preference.

A long curling feather can be tied to a fly, caus-
ing an uncouth appearance, and yet, from its queer
aspect, seem to excite into striking the curiosity
of these fish.

An ordinary piece of brownish worsted can be at-
tached to the barb of the hook and allowed to float
free, and, by the unusual form, serve as a better lure.

Where there are " chubs " in fairly large num-
bers about, and the trout do not seem to be eager
for the fly, use on the cast one small fly, let a
chub take it, but do not land him, let him swim
about. By doing this, the other flies are dragged
about in deeper water, and among the fish in this
locality, and often a fairly good-sized trout will
snap a fly and be taken.

267

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

Large trout are hard chaps to awaken into bit-
ing moods. One thing after another is tried, and
failure alone comes. Once struck well, their play-
is the same, and demands extreme skill. At one
time I fished in a lake where I knew there were
large trout. I sent my guide early in the morn-
ing, just before dawn was breaking, simply to
watch and ascertain where a break was made.
Just off a rocky ledge he found that fish were
rising, and were evidently large ones. I began
fishing at about nine o'clock. I caught only a
few, and these were small. I tried fly after fly,
with no success. Finally I secured some small
live minnows, placed one on the tail hook, and
above this, attached two good taking flies. I then
trolled over the ground, but secured only one
medium-sized trout, and at about five o'clock,
tired and cold, I had decided to return to camp.
Before doing so, I determined to make a final try.
I used a fresh and very small minnow, and placed
a medium-sized sinker on the line just above the
leader, then let out a long line, and trolled near the
point mentioned. The canoe was merely kept
moving. This time my patience and work were
well rewarded. My chill and weariness utterly
disappeared, for I had two strikes that were
strong ones, and I knew the biters were large. So

268

A FEW FACTS AND FANCIES

it proved to be. It was the battle of all my fish-
ing experience. The largest fish was a six pounder,
and his companion, four and a half pounds. The
fight was a long and hard one, — the excitement
exhilarating. The method, surely, is worthy of
consideration from the results obtained.

If you wish to find where fish are feeding in
a lake, try deep-trolling. This is how it is done.
Put on a cone-shaped sinker (they call it a " dip-
sey " in Maryland and farther South), weighing
not less than four ounces, at the end of the reel
line ; three feet above the sinker attach a single or
double twisted gut leader (weight of fish to deter-
mine its size), three feet in length to the line, and
another similar leader three feet above the lower
one. Place swivels wherever needed, and bait with
live minnows, or use light feathered spoons, — the
former, however, are preferable because of the
weight of the spoons being apt to cause entangle-
ment of the leaders. Laying down your rod
within convenient reaching distance, and instruct-
ing the boatman to row slowly over every shoal
and deep hole in the lake, you hold the line in
your hand, and, as the boat progresses, you will
feel the contact of the sinker with the bottom.
If the pluck of a fish is felt, and you have it
hard and fast, take up your rod, being careful

269

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

to keep the strain on the fish when lifting the
rod.

Apropos to this series of notes, a portion of a
letter is here quoted, written to the author by
Mr. A. H. Thayer of Monadnock, New Hampshire.

Dace swarm in Dublin Pond, and are believed by the
resident United States Fish Commissioner and others to
be the devourers of an immense quantity of the spawn of
the trout, hence the decrease of these fish may well be
charged to sportsmen who kill such fish-eating birds as
the herons, kingfishers, and fish-hawks, which they shoot,
or order to be shot, believing them to be great trout
eaters. Introducing or exterminating various species of
birds, without thorough study of their habits, is proving
to be disastrous to fish life in our lakes and rivers.
Science is authority for the fact that very few creatures
should be spared by the classes who try to kill them.
These fish-eating birds get, of course, quantities of other
fish to one trout, and if the United States Fish Commis-
sioner is correct in the statement that fish devour nearly
all the natural spawn of the Dublin Pond trout, it is time
that sportsmen thought twice before killing the enemies of
the dace and shiners. In the mean time lovers of nature
and its study are threatened with the extermination of
the herons and other birds that we love to see and
hear in their haunts.

AMONG THE TROl/T

OF rHE KENNEBEC

AMONG THE TROUr

OF THE KENNEBEC

SPRING has opened her sleepy eye to the
delight of all who love this beautiful
world. If " in the spring a young man's
fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love,"
the heart of an older man opens and, perhaps, more
wisely, to another of nature's impetuous invitations.
He hears and heeds a voice that stirs a fever in his
veins, — a voice from out the forests and the streams,
a resistless voice that he is all too glad to obey.

Do you know the blackened timber — do you know

the racing stream,
With the raw, right-angled log jam at the end ;
And the bar of sun-warmed shingle where
A man may bask and dream

To the click of shod canoe poles round the bend ?
It is there that we are going with our rods and reels and

traces,
To a silent, smoky Indian that we know,
To a couch of new-pulled hemlock, with the star-light on

our faces.
For the Red Gods call us out, and we must go !
And we go — go — go away from here !

VOL. I. — 1 8 273

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

On the other side of the world we 're overdue !
See the road is clear before you when the
Old Spring fret comes o'er you,
And the Red Gods call for you.

With the ring and the rhythm of these words
my heart turns towards the head waters of the
Kennebec, as they flow with a rush and a roar
through the gates of the dam at old Moosehead.

For ten years, I have stepped from the Cana-
dian Pacific train, and gazed with delight upon the
great lake lying in its beauty, one thousand feet
above the level of the sea, and buttressed in the dis-
tance by Katadin, whose crest, one mile nearer
heaven than the lake itself, looks calmly down on
Moosehead. As I draw nearer the hotel on the lake
shore that for so many years has sheltered so many
enthusiasts in the pursuit of big trout, I hear a
murmur, ever growing louder. It is the music of
the great stream, — a stream bordered on either side
by forest primeval, and by a woodland road for five
miles southward, to the Indian Pond.

In a few minutes from the hostelry, one finds
himself on the delightsome pathway, amid a soli-
tude, — the great trees arching overhead, and here
and there footpaths through the woods to the
river and its pools. Once seen, that river with its
ever-varying vistas of beauty, with its rounding

274

TROUT OF THE KENNEBEC

bends, its peeps of purple mountain, its picturesque
shores, its murmur and hiss and roar, its mysterious
and deep-toned chug ! chug ! as it passes toward
the sea, now with wide level sheets of water, and
now in swift rapids, broken by falls and whirlpools
into which strong men have fallen and slept their
last sleep — that river, with its beautiful pools that
quicken one's step and fill his heart with hope as
he draws near, — who having once seen it at its
source can ever forget the Kennebec ?

I came, years ago, to that river as a tyro, never
having made a cast, never having seen a fly, but soon
received some kindly instruction from the men
who were there, for all masters of the gentle art
will meet even a neophyte upon the level, act
toward him by the plumb, and part with him upon
the square. One of them, a distinguished clergy-
man, was fishing a certain pool, day after day, but
without success, the Red God being sometimes
capricious in his bestowal of favors. In my igno-
rance of the laws of the game, I conceived that pool
to be the minister's especial preserve, and religiously
kept away from it. Upon his departure I eagerly
started for the pool, and, wading in, took my place
at its head, — a swift strong current on the one side
and shallows on the other. Making an awkward
cast, to my surprise and delight, a great head

275

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

popped up in the strong water, but I failed to make
connection. With nervous haste I made another
bid for the big trout ; this time there was no " go-
ing— going — gone!" The bid was taken at
once, and my work was cut out — the fight began.
Owing to my inexperience, it took me fifteen
anxious minutes to land that fish. I could not
guide him with my tip ; first, he rushed across the
deep pool into the swift water where I feared his
pull would break away, then, down and up the
pool, and then across to the shallows, where he
thrashed so vigorously that I thought he would
free himself; but amid all my excited errors there
was one I did not make, that of giving him any
slack. Being an Englishman, I instinctively held
on with bull-dog tenacity that at last brought him
in triumph into the net, — a four-pound trout, a
thing of beauty, with dark-green back, mottled
sides, and a belly of brilliant red. With hands that,
wielding the rod, trembled like a leaf with excite-
ment, I had started my reputation as a fly fisher,
and was happy.

The next season, a half-hour's visit to that pool
weighted my net with a three and a four pound trout.
From that time on I lost that miserable feeling of
inferiority that troubles a tyro among experts.

Perhaps I have caught enough big fish to permit

276

TROUT OF THE KENNEBEC

me to give a bit of advice to beginners. Don't be
so anxious to hear the singing of the reel as to
allow your fish too much line ; shorten your line,
as soon as possible, v^ithout stopping to play your
fish ; when he is a heavy one, haul in your line,
hand over fist, as fast as he gives you opportunity,
accommodating yourself to his rushes this way and
that, with the tip, and as short a line as possible.
Your tip will do the business. I have seen many
a fine trout lost by too much finicky play.

Last season, going a mile down the river, by a
charming leafy path through the forest, I waded
out with difficulty to a little ledge, peeping above
the water far from shore. It was treacherous
footing to that ledge, and I had the pleasure of seeing
a dignified clerk of the United States District Court
of Portland execute a frantic dance in the ford, to
keep his feet ; this way and that he tumbled, with
arms waving and a tremendous splashing. I
laughed till I ached, and having sat down myself
several times in that river, I hoped to see this
official take his seat; but, alas, he did n't. Making
the ledge, I began fishing. The beauty around
me on that September morning was enough, but
after a little casting I had a lively one — a half-
pound trout. Having no basket, and unable to
place him on the ledge, I had to wade all the way

277

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

back to place him on the shore ; this I had to do
each time, as I successively caught three more trout,
from two pounds and an ounce to three pounds and
a quarter in weight. Tired out and bearing a
heavy net, my homeward steps were elastic; for, as
every angler knows, the heavier the burden, the
lighter the steps for home.

Once more, and I 'm done. The last day came,
a day of tender regret for the angler who must
leave diwne nature for the man-made town. Just
one more cast, and then for home. With this
feeling I went to an old mill that stood at the in-
tersection of the lake and the dam, — a point so
difficult to land a fish that but a few days before
my ministerial friend lost both fish and leader
through the gate.

The diagram will explain the situation :

Bsjvx.iv^

I

0

X >Sti\i»\i^

Tl\I,E,

t\

ILL

278

TROUr OF THE KENNEBEC

Taking my station on the platform, I made a
long cast, and struck a heavy fish. The water was
pouring with a powerful swing through the gates
at my left into the river. I must pull that fish
toward me, past the heavy currents, and not let
him get the better of me. To add to my trouble,
a storm had brought in a large tree, and placed it
ten feet in front of me, so I must also guide the
fish around that tree, and then past me to the right
until, getting him alongside the wharf to my right,
I could reach down and net him. With several
narrow escapes that quickened my heart, I at last,
got him to the wharf, and, having neglected to bring
my net, raised a yell for help that, heard above the
roar of the water, brought a net in which I landed
a handsome two-pound-and-nine-ounce trout.

With this last triumph, I took the midnight
train for home, content, and in the hope that a
kindly Providence will allow me to visit that
beautiful Kennebec for years to come.

THE GRAYLINGS

A MONOGRAPH

L (2)

4I: .ov[ijya;iO haoih

(i) The Montana Grayling. Thymallus tricolor montanus
(2) The Michigan Grayling. Thymallus tricolor

THE GRAYLINGS

THERE are three forms of graylings
in North American waters, none of
which, however, are indigenous to
New England and Eastern Canada.
The typical species is represented by the Arctic
grayling, — Thymallus signifer, the generic title
being an ancient one, conferred upon it because of
the odor of thyme that its body diffused (a quality
which the grayling of this generation certainly
does not possess) ; the specific name, signifer, from
its large and resplendent dorsal fin or flag.

The Arctic grayling was first found in the streams
flowing into the Arctic Ocean, by Sir John Frank-
lin in 1 819, and Midshipman Back of that ex-
pedition was the first angler to take them with a
fly; hence the fish is frequently called "Back's
grayling " ; by the voyageurs of the extreme North-
west, it is known as the Poisson bleu. The colora-
tion of this grayling is extremely beautiful : the
back is dark, the sides purplish gray, and the belly
darkish gray with irregular whitish blotches.
The head is tinged with brown, and a blue mark-

283

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

ing or shading appears on each side of the lower
jaw. The dorsal fin is high and long, the upper
and backward range of the posterior and bifid rays
extending as far as the adipose fin. A dark grayish
color pervades this imposing flag with paler irregu-
lar markings and cross rows of deep-blue spots,
edged with lake-red.

The second species of grayling {Thymalis tricolor)
is the one found only in Michigan waters, but now
gradually disappearing, owing to the depredation
of the trout upon its spawn and fry, the grayling
spawning in the spring, — a time when fontinalis is
recovering from its winter torpor and eager for
food of any kind. Doubtless more fatal to the in-
crease or preservation of the grayling than even
the trout, is the lumbering on the rivers of Michi-
gan in the spring of the year ; the eggs are torn
from the beds, dispersed and destroyed, by the
rapidly descending logs in the comparatively
shallow grayling streams.

The Michigan grayling is similar in coloration
to its Arctic congener, but with more varied beauty
in the hues of its dorsal fin, which has " a black
line along its base, then a rose-colored one, then a
blackish one, then rose-colored, blackish, and rose-
colored, the last stripe being continued as a row
of spots." Above these lines there is a row of

284

THE GRAYLINGS

dusky green spots, then a row of minute rose-
colored ones, then a broad dusky area, the middle
part of the fin being tipped with rose. The
height, length, and iridescent beauty of this fin
will serve as an identification of species, should
the fortunate angler lure the Michigan grayling
before its extermination. It appears to be doomed,
as it has not been, and, doubtless never will be,
propagated by artificial means.

The Montana grayling (Thymallus tricolor mon-
tanus) is a subspecific or varietal form of the Michi-
gan grayling, and is, I think, inferior to that fish
in beauty of coloration, as it certainly is in height
and length of the dorsal fin. Unlike it, however,
it is now successfully raised by artificial processes,
and is being very generally introduced into the
waters of the Eastern States, more particularly in
those of New England. It is a stouter, stronger
fish than the Michigan grayling, and is not as game
on the rod, never leaping on a slack line, when
fastened, into the air, — a true test of a game fish,
— but making deeper, longer, and more obstinate
surges in its efforts to void the hook. The colora-
tion, although less iridescent and varied than its
more Eastern relative, surpasses in beauty that of
any other of our stream game fishes. Its dorsal
fin is of a general dusky green shading, with three

285

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

rows of bright orange spots, somewhat irregular in
position, but always posteriorly, the spots being
faintly ocellated and oblong in shape, and placed
obliquely ; the fin is edged with bright orange-
brown. It is indigenous only to Montana, being
most numerous in the upper reaches of the Madi-
son, Gallatin, and Jefferson Rivers, which meet near
the town of Gallatin, and form the head waters of
the Missouri River.

"K. -'m

■M %:■

lEST, LJKE, AND RIVER

rows of bright orange spots, somewhat irregular in
position, but always posteriorly, the spots being
faintly ocellated and oblong in shape, and placed
obliquely ; the fin is edged with bright orange-
brown. It is indigenous only to Montana, being
most numerous in the upper reaches of the Madi-
son, Gallatin, and Jefferson Rivers, which meet near
the town of Gallatin, and form the head waters of
the Mi M>iiri River.

''^/fS the ice peaks that towered
overhead "

THE

STANDARD BEARER

In the heart of the Ice King's domain ^
All flashing, he leapt into life ;
Chilled waters to him were no bane,
They bathed him in strength for the strife.
No warmth for this stranger as cold
As the ice peaks that towered overhead ;
No warmth for this fighter as bold
As the boldest that ocean has bred.

Of the blush of the rose on his fin,
That waves like an undulant wing.
Of his courage and speed of his kin.
The poets of Lakeland will sing.
And the fisherman, finding him game.
Will tales of his powers unfold.
As he tells of the stranger that came
From the region of ice and of cold.

287

3X18 33BX3 .zd[ ^-^ I

171 lO Ml'^ J

A2^oCj

Dorsal Fin of Michigan Grayling of i^ lbs. — exact size

rHE

GRAYLING OF MONTANA

TO my mind there is no more beautiful
fish than our American grayling. Its
shape is finer in proportions than the
trout. Its color is of a silver gray,
fins of an olive-brown tint ; the pectoral fins near the
ends shade into a blue hazing. The distinctive
characteristic is the wonderful and peculiar dorsal
fin, dotted with reddish and orange spots, and about
these greenish-like tints, or those of the rose.
This particular fin is approximately about one-
fourth the length of the body, and its apparent use,
assisted by the pectoral fins, is to aid the fish in
rapid risings or descendings.

The spots on the body appear almost black, but
in the direct rays of the sun are found to be of
deeper shades and richer coloring.

The grayling belongs to the family Thymalidce,
and is the only genus of the family. The scales
are fairly large. The first fish were found amid
the Arctic waters, and, from descriptions, I judge,
were rather more marked in brilliant coloring.

VOL. 1. — 19 289

FOREST, L^KE, AND RIVER

While at the United States Hatchery at Nashua,
New Hampshire, I was enabled to study a fine lot of
splendid specimens of the Montana grayling, and
personally I am delighted that ere long we shall
find this grayling in many of our New England
streams. If this can be accomplished, and certain
laws enacted to govern their taking, the anglers
will not only have a fish that will give variety to
the usual experiences, but one well worthy of their
best skill. Not alone this, — the best months will
be late in the season, — September, October, and
November. If then laws will be enacted making
the open season from September to December, the
sportsman will find that he can combine fishing
with his hunting, and our fly book will not be
laid away in its camphor-perfumed home quite
as soon.

So far, success is making itself more and more
marked in raising these fish in the hatcheries, and,
in my belief, it will not be many years before, with
the right sort of protection and planting, we shall
have our fill of a new pleasure, in the taking of
these beautiful grayling at the season in which
their game-like qualities are at the best. Think
of all the charm that will come when the air
is crisp and clear, and the autumn colors touch
the landscape with a resplendent beauty all their

290

GRAYLING OF MONTANA

own. No sultry atmosphere, no stinging, buzzing,
annoying insects ; surely it would be perfection
indeed !

The grayling lies deep in the water, quite near
to the bottom. He rises eagerly, and the fly is
not taken until it has passed him. If he misses, then
he quickly disappears. When the hook is struck,
then the superb fin is brought into full play, and he
now fiercely struggles to go deep down again. In
this effort, he exerts his strength to the utmost,
and tests well the skill of the rodsman.

The grayling is considered by many anglers as
being fully equal, in fighting power, to the trout,
although their manner of taking the fly is entirely
different, the trout rising with a dash and snap
which the grayling does not equally display. Leap-
ing above the water, and taking the fly in the down-
ward turn, seems to be a favorite habit of the
trout, while the grayling takes it more deliberately,
from beneath. Yet so far as my personal experi-
ence extends, I have never seen the Montana
species leap from the water when hooked ; yet the
Michigan grayling frequently does, and as often, in
some instances, as five or six times, a trait, — by the
by, not shown by our brook beauty, fontinalis.
Nearly all fresh-water fish, when tightly held, will
fight on the surface, but few indeed, of their own

291

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

sweet will, leap into the air when they feel the
tension of the line.

The waters seem to exert their influence, and in
different localities the fish is either a jumper or a
deep and hard puller. Then, too, his attempts to
free himself are different in character.

The Montana grayling is considered rather
stronger, and with better equipment of fighting
qualities, than those of Michigan waters. It is,
however, less beautiful in coloration and outline.

The flies used as a rule for trout, will be found
eflicacious in luring the grayling. The black,
brown, red, and gray hackles, the Abbey, Lord
Baltimore, the coachman, the Wilson, Montreal,
professor, yellow Sally, etc., are all good, A light
rod, click reel, and water-proofed line, such as
we use for ordinary trout fishing, is the proper
tackle. In this connection it may be well to
note that the Michigan grayling has a relatively
tender mouth, although not so weak as credited
by writers on angling from the days of Juliana
Benners in the fifteenth century. On the other
hand, the Montana species has as tough a pair of
lips as the brook trout of any waters of the
Western continent.

In their native waters, as well as in the hatch-
eries, the grayling are not as nervous and restive as

292

G RAT LING OF MONrANA

the trout, and not so easily scared. They will
frequently rise many times to the same fly. One
of the most charming and delightful narratives I
have ever read, is that written by Mr. William C.
Harris of the "American Angler," for "American
Game Fishes," dealing with both the Montana
and Michigan grayling. All that is written makes
one tingle and envious, for a time, that it was not
his good fortune to enjoy such a trip as is described.
The transplanted grayling should, however, in the
course of a few years, give us in our own streams
and rivers equally enjoyable and bewitching hours
of pleasure. It is for this reason that I have placed
him " in oil " among the large portfolio illustra-
tions, so he may become familiar to my readers,
even before his time, in this section of the country.
Success will in the end come, for, once known, the
grayling will be made welcome. Protected well
for a sufficient time, their number will increase.
If certain waters can be selected and guarded, and,
when opened, to be under laws that make the sea-
son such that the time is one when the grayling is
in his power of fullest activity, then I predict rare
sport can be obtainable at an unusual time of year,
when it will be all the more welcome. The
United States and the State Commissioners, with the
encouragement of the best sportsmen, will accom-

293

/

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

plish this, aided by gentlemen enough interested
to help them by private measures.

It has been my good fortune to obtain, quite
recently, the control of a remarkably fine water
supply, adapted in every way by nature for hatchery
purposes, and in the near future it is my intention
to do all in my power to raise and breed the fish,
for the purpose of stocking appropriate waters. If
other gentlemen are willing to do their share in
this direction, either alone or through the different
clubs of which they are members, then a full and
rich reward will be reaped within a comparatively
short time.

The MAID of the MOUNTAIN

The Maid of the MouNTAiff

rhe MAID of the MOUNT A IN

PART FIRST

IT had been a long day on the Jacques Cartier
River. We had run it in my canoe from
far up among the mountains down into the
valley where it ceases to fret and foam, and
an occasional clearing on the bank indicated the
pioneers' struggle for foothold on the land. I had
fished the twenty miles of water and a goodly pile
of trout lay in the bottom of the canoe. It was
time to camp while there was yet light enough to
make snug for the night. At a likely looking
point I directed Charlo, my half-breed guide, to
beach the canoe. The little tent was soon set and
the fragrant bed of balsams laid. Charlo had
crossed the river to gather some birch bark, and I
had thrown myself down for that sweet half hour
of rest that follows the fatigue of a day of cramped
position in a canoe. I must have dozed off, for I
heard no approaching footsteps, but a voice that
was evidently that of a woman awakened me, and
I sprang to a sitting position. Standing beside

297

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

the camp fire was the most extraordinary looking
creature I had ever seen, — a woman, but of mas-
culine features and coarse, beady-eyed, with closely-
cropped gray hair. She wore an old cowboy
slouch pulled well down on her head, a man's
long homespun overcoat of many hues and patches,
a skirt of potato-bagging that dropped an inch or
two below the overcoat but barely covering the
long sheepskin tops of the beef moccasins that
served as footwear. Slung under her left arm was
a single-barrelled gun of formidable but antique
appearance.

I stared at her in speechless surprise.

" I say, mister, you need n't look so scared, it 's
only me," said the woman.

" And who the deuce may * only me ' be ? " I
asked, recovering my speech.

"What me? Why, mister, I'm the Maid of
the Mountain back beyant. Me cow, bad luck to
her, strayed down to the river, and it was lukin'
for her I was whin I saw ye's two comin' down
the river. You '11 say to that black haythen
that 's with you that the Maid of the Mountain
wants that sthumpin' done at onct. At onct, mind
ye, or I '11 have Angus McTavish to do it.*'

" But, my good woman, Charlo 's engaged with
me for another week," I answered.

298

THE MAID of the MOUNTAIN

" Is he indade," she replied ; " and who the divil
may you be to set yourself above the rest of the
wurruld ? * You give him the wurrd as I tell you ! "

She looked so fierce that I hastily promised to
deliver her message, and, to further propitiate her,
I produced my flask with a cordially expressed
hope that she would take a nip.

" Be gobs, thin, I don't mind if I do," she re-
plied ; " shure, it 's chilly and I must be futtin' it.
Here 's to your fishin' and better luck to you, and
don't you forget the wurrd."

" And how are you going to find your way
home through the bush in the dark ? " I ventured
to ask.

" Find me way home in the dark ! Glory be
to God, man ! — for tin years I 've tramped the
trail, and it's every sthump and stone I know. I
wish you good-night."

I had come out of the tent by this time, and I
watched her as she strode off into the fast gather-
ing gloom. She looked a veritable Amazon.

Charlo soon after came in with his roll of birch
bark, and silently, as was his custom, made up the
fire and prepared the supper. Later, when we had
finished the first pipe, I said : —

" I have a message for you, Charlo, and from a

lady."

299

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

" Ah ! you 'av' de veesite from de Maid of de
Montagne. Sacre ! I 'ave her de promeese made
for long tam for work h'on de stump."

" Oh ! you have, have you ? Well, she left
word that you were to come at once or she would
get Angus McTavish to do it."

" She giv' dat word ? She go got dat tam An-
goose for work. No, nevare ! I go for do dat
work tout de suite. You see dat gal, well, she
verra fine h'ole gal. I go for marry her when she
'av' de Ian' h'all clear. To-morrow I h'ax you
for leave me go."

" But, Charlo, you were to stay with me for
another week ? "

" Wal you h'ax anuder man h'on de settlemen'
for go wid you."

As any further argument seemed useless, I let it
go at that. In the morning we paddled down the
river to the three or four log-houses that consti-
tuted the settlement, and Charlo departed after
consigning me to M'sieu MacDonald. To my
inquiry of the latter as to a man who knew the
river and could paddle a canoe, MacDonald
replied :

** Angus McTavish is the mon. He kens the
reever fine. If he 's no at the Maid's, you '11 find
him at his ain hoose doun the river."

300

THE MAID of the MOUNTAIN

" May I ask, Mr. MacDonald, who the Maid is ?"

" Ah ! mon dear, but it 's no a question I can

answer. I ken weel the necht she came. It was

a great rain storm and as black as yon tom. There

was a great clap of thunner, and the gude wife said,

* I 'm thankfu', Thammas, you 're no on the road
the necht.' Just then the door was opened and
in walked a woman clean drippit from head to
foot. She carried a great pack on her back,
which she unslung, and shaking herself like a
dog, she said in an Irish brogue:

" * Shure I 've done some hard trampin' in me
toime, but that 's a divil's road from Quebec here,
and the night 's bad. I 'd be thankful to you,
mum, for a cup of tay,' turning to the wife.

* Your name 's MacDonald,' said she, addressing
me, * and you'll be after showing me lot lo in
the mornin'. I 've bought it.'

" * Woman,' said I, * do you no ken tha lot i o
is away on the mountain, and no an acre cleared
nor as much as a cabin on it ? '

" * I '11 attind to all that in good time,' said she.

" * But, woman, have you no a man to helpit
you ? ' put in the wife.

" * A man, is it,' said she, in a fierce way, * I 'd

have you understand, mum, that I 'm as good as

any man.*

301

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

*' She may be a bit off in her reasoning, but
she 's come and gone this ten years, and it 's a
great farm she 's got with a tidy house on it."

" And that is all you know of her ? " I further
inquired, eager for information respecting my
strange visitor of the night before.

"Weel," replied MacDonald, "only that she's
a great hunter. It 's not lang syne she killed a
muckle big bear that was rinnin' after her sheep,
and in the winter she gangs awa' intil the bush for
caribou. And it 's fearsome to see her standing in
her canoe wi' a lang fishing pole, casting recht and
left, and a-tearin' down the rapids. But she minds
her ain business, and she no likes veesitors."

" Not unless they are handy at stumping," I
laughingly replied.

" Man, you 're recht, but she 's great at that
hersel' as weel," and MacDonald chuckled at
the thought.

"And now," said I, "for McTavish." I found
him sitting before the door of his cabin modelling
a paddle. His appearance was quite as striking as
the Maid's. He was tall and raw-boned, with a
red beard and hair to match. The latter was long
and curled, hanging over the collar of his blue
flannel shirt like a great mane. He was, perhaps,
fifty or more. I explained to him that Charlo

302

THE MAID of the MOUNTAIN

had deserted me for the Maid, and that I wanted
his services for a week as canoe-man.

" So the black felley has gone to the Maid," said
McTavish. "Man, man, but she plays him like
she does a trout she's well hooked. But no
matter, I '11 send him to the right about as soon
as the land is all cleared, so let the Injin work
away." McTavish grinned at the picture he had

evoked.

So did I, but I saw two trout on her cast, and I
wondered which one she would land. McTav-
ish's preparations to accompany me were simple.
He merely closed the cabin door, picked up a
lono- lithe spruce pole shod with iron at one end,
and announced that he was ready. He proved so
skilful in poling a canoe that I decided to return
up river to the pool of the big rock. There again
I set my tent, and for several days I fished for the
great trout that lurk its depths. Of all the rivers
that take their rise in the table-land that forms the
divide between Lake St. John and the River St.
Lawrence in the province of Quebec, there is no
one that is so justly celebrated for its trout as the
Jacques Cartier. Its island-studded waters, the
irregular-shaped mountains that guard it, clad
to their summits with the spruce and balsam, its
rough rapids that subside into long reaches of placid

303

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIFER

water also lend to it a charm possessed by no other
river in the whole Dominion.

But to return to my story, though I love to take
the angler's privilege of an occasional cast to one
side on the chance of an unexpected rise.

One evening McTavish, after lighting his pipe
from a coal deftly extracted from the camp fire,
turned to me and said :

" You know the Maid of the Mountain ? "

"Yes," I replied, "slightly."

" A grand woman, sir."

"A very remarkable one, I should say," I dryly
replied. This, however, was quite lost on McTav-
ish, who continued :

" I have known that woman, sir, for ten years,
and she has n't her like in our parish. She can
do anything that a man can. It 's a treat to see
her swing an axe. I 've asked her to marry me."
Here McTavish paused.

" Well," said I, " what was her answer .? "

" That she would n't marry the King of England
until every acre of land on her farm was cleared,
and then she'd decide. It 's all right though, and
I give her a hand whenever I 've spare time.
Faith, a man without a wife in these parts has
a hard time, and I 'm tired of it."

I wished him all success, and thereupon we

304

THE MAID of the MO U NT A IN

made up the fire and turned in for the night. As
our subsequent adventures on the river have noth-
ing in relation to my story, I must resist the temp-
tation of another side-cast, lest I forget what I
started out to tell. At the end of my week's
engagement with McTavish, I dismissed him and
took my way back to Quebec.

VOL. I. 20

Z^S

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

PART SECOND

About the middle of the winter that followed, a
messenger from one of the hospitals came to me
and said that an Indian by the name of Charlo,
who was a patient in the institution, suffering from
frozen feet, wished to see me. I answered the
summons at once, and found my quondam com-
panion of the preceding summer, minus several toes,
but otherwise convalescing. While caribou hunt-
ing he had broken through the ice, and before he
could reach his camp, both feet were badly frozen.
It was Angus McTavish who found him, and with
infinite toil had drawn him out to the settlement
on a toboggan, from whence he was brought in to
the hospital in Quebec.

" Hein ! " said he, " you 'av' de good 'eart for
come see a h'ole Injin man, rnsieu\ I would not
h'ax you for come but for de grand communica-
tion which I 'av' for mak'."

" Found a new fishing ground in the river
for us to try next summer, I suppose," said I, at
random.

^^ Baguette ! non, ni sieu\ it ees more strange dan
h'all does tings. Attendez, rn sieu\ for I would not
spik loud for it ees not that 'e should yet know of

306

THE MAID of the MO UNTAIN

wat I 'av' for say," and Charlo pointed to a man in
the next cot, but whose back was turned to us.

I drew my chair nearer to Charlo's bedside and
he went on :

" Two — tree day, mebbe, h'after I come h'on
dis place I spik h'on dat man. 'E h'ole H'lrish-
man wat 'av' de pneumone but 'e go for get bettar.
I h'ax 'im who he was, and 'e say 'e was wan of
dem fellers wat fight for de Queen, but 'e not
fight h'any more, but look for 'e's wife wat was
los'. Den I h'ax 'im 'ow for 'e lose 'is wife, an'
'e say, * It ees long story for tell. I was married
man h'on de regiment wat come to Montreal from
H'Englan'. My wife she come too. She was
great woman for mak' de work h'on de h'officers'
house an' for de wash. Bime-by she say, " Pat,
you 'av' tree month more for serve h'on de regi-
ment den we go buy de Ian' for mak' farm at
Quebec. I 'av' four huner dollar wat I save." I
feel so good h'over dat news dat I mak' beeg spree
de night tam h'on de canteen. Den I mak' de
beeg fool and keeck h'up wan grand row. De
h'officer h'of de night tam come for see who mak'
dat row, but I feel so bully for fight I strike 'im
h'in de face tree, four tam. Dat's bad ting for
do, h'an' I go h'on the lock-up. Nex' day wam
I 'm sobre I feel verra bad, but no matter I 'av*

307

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

for Stan' trial h'all de sam'. De h'officer wat I
strike h'ax de court for be h'easy, dat I good sol-
dier-man. De court say dey tak' dat word h'an'
would give me h'only ten year h'in de jail h'in
H'Englan'. My wife she feel de shame, but she
say, " You 'av' a good 'eart, Pat, h'an' I go for
mak' a farm h'all the same, h'an' I wait for you."
I get one lettre to say she go h'on Quebec, den I
not 'ear h'any more. Mebbe she die, but h'anyway
when I get h'out h'on dat jail one year before my
tam, I hire me h'out h'on de ship for come to
Quebec for see. Two month I h'ax h'alway for
Mrs. O'Scanlen, but nobody not know her, h'an'
den, I tak' de seekness which bring me h'on de
'ospital.'

^^ Baguette ! ni sieu\ when I 'ear dat H'lrish-
man say Mrs. O'Scanlen, I jump h'up h'on de bed
queeck.

** * You 'av' de pain,' says 'e.

'* * Begosh ! ' I say, ' I 'av' 'im bad.'

" Den I h'ax 'im eef de wife wat 'e want ees
short woman, h'an verra beeg' roun' ?

" O'Scanlen, 'e laf,*but 'e say : * No, my woman
tall lak man h'an' thin.'

" I know dat woman fine, but I not say word to
O'Scanlen but sen' for you, m sieu' T

" What," said I, " the Maid of the Mountain .?'*

308

rHE MAID of the MOUNTAIN

" De sam', m sieu , I 'av' seen de name h'on de
prayer-book which she keep h'on de 'ouse. I
would h'ax you, m sieu\ wat it ees bes' for do ? "

I thought for a moment or two, and decided
upon a plan of action. " Leave it to me," said
I to Charlo, " I '11 make it the event of the
winter."

I got up and walked around to the bedside of
O'Scanlen. " Well, my man," said I, extending
my hand to him, " I 'm glad to see that you are
almost better, for I 've some news for you that
you '11 be pleased to hear."

"Is it" — and here O'Scanlen raised himself in
the bed, and fixed me with an appealing look —
"is it that she's alive and well?" said he, in a
voice trembling with emotion.

" It is," I simply answered.

" Glory be to God ! " said O'Scanlen, " but this
is a great hour."

Thereupon I told him the story of the Maid of
the Mountain, and Charlo's part in the discovery.
" And now," I added at the close, *' as both
Charlo and you are to be discharged from the
hospital to-morrow, I am going to drive you two
out to the mountain, instead of sending for Mrs.
O'Scanlen, and we '11 have a house-warming when
we get there."

309

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

As I was leaving the hospital, I almost ran into
the arms of Angus McTavish, who was on his way,
as he expressed it, " To see the Black Haythen."
I drew him aside and as briefly as possible I related
to him what you, dear reader, already know.

" Man, man, but it 's a queer yarn, and all my
stumpin' this ten year past gone for nothin'."
McTavish looked so doleful at the thought of this
loss, and the greater loss that was not expressed,
that I laughed outright.

"Tut," said I, "an old bachelor like you ought
to rejoice at so happy an ending to a romance like
this. You '11 drive out to-morrow with us to the
house-warming."

" Well," he replied, " I suppose I might as
well."

My story ought to end here, but it does n't.
The happenings in real life are so much stranger
than in fiction that I am forced to go on with it
to the end.

It was near the close of the short winter day
when I drew rein on the edge of the clearing from
which the Maid's house was visible. The sun,
setting in majestic glory over the western moun-
tains, spread a soft pink glow across the open
fields of snow, while from the windows of the
house there shone the reflected light that glowed

310

THE MAID of the MOUNTAIN

like beacons. We sat silent for a few moments,
each, no doubt, filled with an emotion inspired by
the scene and the circumstance of our being there.
It was O'Scanlen who first spoke :

" By my faith ! Maggie has made a grand fight,
and it's a beautiful place entirely."

" She 'av' de great courage," said Charlo, simply.

"And, man, but she's fine at the stumpin',"
replied McTavish.

I made no remark, for something in the stillness
about the place jarred unpleasantly upon my nerves.
I tipped the horse with the whip, and we drove up
to the door. " I '11 rap," said I to O'Scanlen,
" not to cause too great surprise, and you follow
me in." There was no response, however, to my
rap, and I lifted the latch. The door opened and
I entered, closely followed by O'Scanlen. Sitting
before the table facing one of the windows, but
with her back turned to us, was the Maid, evidently
writing. She held a pen in her hand, and before
her on the table was spread a large sheet of paper.
She did not turn, however, at the noise of our
entrance.

" Maggie, Maggie dear, I have come at last,"
exclaimed O'Scanlen, reaching out his arms, as he
advanced towards the sitting figure.

There was no response.

3"

FOREST, LAKE, AND RIVER

" Have you no word for me, Maggie ? " said
O'Scanlen, touching the shoulder of the woman.

" Man," said I, as gently as I could, " she has
left a message for you, but she is dead."

He staggered and would have fallen, but for
McTavish, who at that moment came into the
house and caught him in his arms.

Let me, as is the storyteller's privilege, merci-
fully draw a veil over the husband's first violent
outpourings of grief. When we had decently
and reverently placed the body of the dead
woman upon the bed, and had made a fire to
warm the chilled house, in the last flickering
light of the day I read to O'Scanlen the mes-
sage which I had found upon the table :

Dear Pat, — I am ritin' this in hopes that you will
get it to let you now that I am true to you to the ind,
and that the prisint year, God be praised, will be your
last in prison. It has been a lonesome time, dear Pat,
but glory be to God it 's a great farm I 've got, and it's
happy you '11 be whin you get here for it 's a great
country entirely. It 's the Maid of the Mountain I
am, dear Pat, for I 've kept our sacret, and it 's siveral
of the lads, fine min, Pat, and trew, who would marry
me, but I put thim off with one excuse and another
for it's thinkin' of you, Pat, I am and the little
dead one. They think it 's hard I am, Pat, but it 's
you who nows best, for it 's always of you I 'm dram-

312

THE MAID of the MOUNTAIN

ing of nights, and the days and months are long with-
out you —

Here the letter ended abruptly.

It was bitterly hard for the man. In our rude
way we tried to comfort him, but his giief and
disappointment were deeper than our sympathy.
It is time only that heals the wounds of the heart
though the scars remain. I returned to Quebec
after the funeral, leaving McTavish in charge of
O'Scanlen. Summer came again, and it was
Charlo who met me at the river with his " Saints,
m'sieu\ I verra glad for see you some more for
fish. Dat feller Angoose h'ax you for come h'an'
camp h'on 'is 'ouse, for see O'Scanlen wat liv' wid
'im now, 'an' we h'all mak' fish togedder, for we
'av' feenish wid de stumps."

^"^3

THIS BOOK WAS PRINTED BY THE
UNIVERSITY PRESS (JOHN WILSON
AND SON, INCORPORATED), CAM-
BRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, DURING THE
SPRING OF NINETEEN HUNDRED & TWO

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