IN A FISHING COUNTRY 



It became the fashion to run across, early 

 or late, 'just for a cast or two'; but if these 

 fish have set habits of feeding on the sur- 

 face, we were unable to determine them. 

 At times unpredictable they rose; to stop 

 again as unexpectedly. There were hours 

 when they appeared to be on the move 

 throughout the whole lake, and other like 

 hours when not a fish was stirring; no one 

 surprised the golden moment which 

 brought them freely to the fly. The pur- 

 suit of these whimsical, capricious trout 

 did not cease to fascinate, however many 

 the disappointments. When a universal 

 rise on the lower lake seemed evidence of 

 conditions that must be favourable every- 

 where, the Emmuraille trout gave no sign; 

 journeys over the portage which there was 

 nothing in wind or weather to invite, were 

 often successful. 



In the end everyone scored, and had 

 moreover his story to tell of a heavy fish 

 that broke him after some minutes of dog- 

 ged contest, generally at the end of a long 

 and uncontrollable rush. The difference 

 bet^veen the largest and the smallest of the 

 half-dozen killed was but three-quarters of 

 a pound, and the average weight was a 



98 



