Notes and Quertes 53 
Fishing on the Upper Miramichi. 
I did not feel willing to leave the river with- 
out trying the upper waters above the Burnt 
Hill pools, and, with the approval of Dr. 
Steeves and Attorney General Blair, I decided 
to try my luck alone farther up, leaving them 
both on the fishing ground at our camp. 
So on ‘Jhursday morning, with my two guides, 
I packed tent, provisions and camp equipage 
on one canoe, and started on a bright and 
lovely July day, armed with a letter from Mr. 
Blair to the wardens on the upper stations. 
The first pool above Burnt Hill is about one- 
half a mile, called ‘‘Spider Rock,” which I 
whipped without a ‘‘rise.”’ 
Leaving it, I ran one mile farther up, to a 
fine pool called ‘‘ The New Hole,” where I had 
rare sport, killing a fine grilse that gave me 
splendid play and an exciting chase. 
I did not stop, however, here, but pushed 
up to a nice ground just above it, called ‘‘ But- 
ternut Brook pond,” which I fished thoroughly 
without a ‘‘rise.”’ 
Disappointed, I started for ‘Little Burnt 
Hill,” half a mile farther on, where I had fine 
sport. I killed two grilse here, one a large 
one, which gave me lovely sport and fought 
his way to an exciting finish. I left Little 
Burnt Hill with regret, as it is a lovely water, 
and a fair rival for the lower and more famous 
Burnt Hill pools, where our permanent camp 
was. Half a mile farther up is asplendid pool 
and water, called ‘‘Two Mile-and-a-Half pond.”’ 
I had no luck here, although I did my best 
to tempt the beauties, and | struck out for 
‘“Sand Hole,” a lovely piece of water, with 
every chance of fine fishing, but my fly was 
undisturbed, though I tried the ‘‘ Brown 
Fairy,” the ‘‘ Dusty Miller,” the ‘‘Silver Doc- 
tor,” and the ‘‘ Jack Scot.” 
Opposite ‘‘Sand Hole pool” is a splendid bit 
of ground, called ‘‘ Calamus pool,” which I tried 
with no better success. 
In running up the rapidsfrom ‘‘ Little Burnt 
Hill” to ‘*‘ Two-and-a-Half-Mile pond,” I had 
the only bit of hard luck that I experienced 
on the cruise. 
I hooked, played and lost a fine grilse, and 
in a few minutes had a splendid strike and 
fine sport and a long play with a fine fish, and 
lost him also. During my whole stay on the 
river, these were the only fish I lost that bit 
well. 
I consoled myself with the reflection, which 
Tom Munn, my best man, was polite enough 
to endorse, that they were not well hooked. 
I used the double-hooked fly, two hooks back 
together, which I bought at St. John. 
This brought us to the great bridge, which 
here crosses the river in the wilderness, built 
for the convenience of the lumbermen in the 
winter to get stores in and out to the camp. 
One-half of the cost is paid by the government 
and one-half by the lumbermen. 
lt is the first portage above the settlements 
where a team could cross the river. As we 
reached it, a heavy shower came up, and we 
went ashore and took shelter in the camp, 
which I examined. 
It was arranged for twenty-five men, with 
stables for twelve horses, eight in one and four 
in the other. The buildings were made of 
logs, with low ceilings and not as good as they 
should be and could be made, with little 
trouble or extra expense. The camp has two 
rooms; the large one was the kitchen, dining 
room and mess room combined, and aajoining 
it, with door between, was the bunks for the 
men, one above the other. 
I borrowed from this camp a fine kerosene 
oil lamp and a bottle of oil, which I hung in 
my tent at night, and which I returned 
when I came back down the river, with 
thanks to the lumbermen for the light in the 
wilderness. 
A mile above this bridge is one of the most 
famous fishing pools in the upper waters. It 
rejoices in the euphonious name of ‘‘ Push 
and be Damned,” and I decided to pitch my 
tent at the foot of this quite famous pool. The 
rain had left the woods soaking wet, but as my 
heart was set on sleeping on boughs, my lads, 
when it cleared, were good enough to cut me a 
splendid lot, and I never slept better in my 
life. : 
A word as to the camp. It fronted on the 
river near the ashes of the fire and camp of the 
wardens, on the right hand side of the river as 
you look up stream. 
Both my men go into the lumber woods in 
the falland don’t come out till spring, and they 
built and made a fire in front of the tent such 
as they used in the camps in the woods. 
Long logs and a rousing fire. I covered the 
boughs with a rubber blanket and, while the 
nights were cold, the general warmth of the 
grand log fire close in front of the tent warmed 
it splendidly, and we were as comfortable as 
possible. 
