With Gun ^ Rod in Canada 



Stand to bring him to the gaff. If there is any fish in 

 existence of its weight that can put up a more persistent, 

 resourceful, or cunning fight than a fifteen- or twenty- 

 pound Nova Scotia salmon when hooked in a six- or 

 seven-mile current, it has not been the writer's good 

 fortune to make its acquaintance. 



It is also quite a neat little trick to handle with one 

 hand a fourteen-foot rod and a fifteen-pound salmon 

 which is dragging back in a six-mile current, and at the 

 same time use the gaff with the other hand. To add 

 to the excitement, the boat or canoe is usually coated 

 with ice on the inside. By the time you have whipped 

 the glittering silver trophy out of the icy water and 

 landed him safely in the boat you have earned the right 

 to eat it — and he is pink, juicy, rich meat from head to 

 tail. 



As many a salmon has been lost through awkward 

 gaffing, a word here might not be amiss in regard to the 

 knock-out punch that has to be delivered if one is to be 

 a successful participant in a finish fight with a salmon. 



First: Be sure the fish is close enough to reach with 

 the gaff before attempting to finish him. 



Second: When you are sure he is close enough, slip 

 the gaff under and a little beyond him with the point 

 of the hook up, aim for the throat just back of the gills and 

 jerk the gaff toward you. This turns the salmon over 

 on his back, in which position he is practically helpless. 



Third: With a continuance of the same motion that 

 has driven the hook into the fish's throat, pull it toward 

 you, and at the same time raise the fish out of the water 

 and flip him into the boat. 



Fourth: Be sure to let your line slack from the reel 

 as you pull the fish in, otherwise you are liable to break 

 your tip. 



Fifth: Never try to gaff a salmon with a downward 



36 



