174 ON ANGLING 



another minute or two will lay him out helpless. 

 When fishing alone I have often played a fish out 

 so completely that I would just go and raise him 

 out with my hand, using neither gaff nor net. 



So far as I am aware, in our Canadian rivers, 

 St. Lawrence waters, salmon will not take 

 anything else but the fly. I have tried baits of 

 various kinds, shrimps, frogs, minnows, etc., 

 without any success at all. The late Mr. Alex- 

 ander Dennistoun, of Montreal, also tried ex- 

 periments in that line on the Natashquan, Min- 

 gan, St. John's and Moisie rivers and had no 

 success either. I suppose they are not yet edu- 

 cated to that point. I have, however, in the salt 

 water, or near the estuary of a river, taken sal- 

 mon by trolling, using an artificial bait resemb- 

 ling a sand eel or a caplin, and if the fresh and 

 natural bait can be had it is still better. Fine 

 large trout are frequently caught while so trol- 

 ling. No lead is used, and the ordinary salmon 

 tackle suits. About sixty feet of line behind the 

 canoe is sufficient and this last should be rowed 

 quietly, at a rate of about two miles an hour. 

 Since I commenced this sport here, my old 

 friend, Mr. Eobt. McLimont, has killed many 

 fine fish in the same way. Like fly-fishing, it 

 requires patience and perseverance, the two qual- 

 ities that the successful angler must necessarily 

 possess. 



