With Gun ^ Rod in Canada 



each summer, to say nothing of canoes, tents, cars, and 

 scenery. Obviously I cannot hope to cover the entire 

 field, so let us localize a characteristic background for 

 your outing, and specify some typical and easily-to-be- 

 avoided errors appertaining thereto. 



We will presume that you are staying in a sporting 

 camp on Lake Rossignol, Nova Scotia. (It might as 

 well be Maine, the Adirondacks, or California.) You 

 are on your first trout-fishing trip. Upon the advice 

 of friends, you intend to stay at one of the camps for a 

 day or two, and then start off with a guide and a canoe 

 for a week's fishing on the tributaries of Lake Rossignol. 

 Having a first-class Canadian guide, you are in as safe 

 hands as it is possible to be. The day before you start 

 out your guide will sort of hang around and " get 

 acquainted." You marvel at his seemingly impudent 

 curiosity: he asks you if you can swim; he inquires what 

 you are going to wear on your feet; he appraises your 

 brand-new fishing gear and firearms; he inquires if you 

 are used to a canoe; he wants to know if you ever slept 

 out in a tent; he overhauls your clothes, blankets, and 

 the numerous sportsman's paraphernalia that your 

 friends and the sporting-goods salesmen have wished 

 upon you; he may even ask if you are addicted to indi- 

 gestion, liquor, and tobacco. Now, he is not being 

 impertinent. He is merely trying to find out, with as 

 much diplomacy as he may possess, all about your 

 experience, outfit, and characteristics with a view to 

 being prepared for eventualities. Any deficiencies in 

 either quantity or quality in your supplies will be taken 

 care of in his. 



Don't lie to your guide. If you are inexperienced, 

 frankly admit it. You might just as well. Your first 

 day's deportment in the wilds will give him a very clear 

 understanding of your qualifications. It is far better to 



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