The Land of the Winanishe 



trout of the same weight ; a five-pounder, 

 for example, is twenty-five inches long, 

 twelve in girth, and looks like an eight- 

 pound salmon. Now and then solitary 

 fish of great size are seen, old habitants 

 dating from " les premieres annees " when 

 " ^a en bouillait, Monsieur, des grosses 

 comme des carcajous " (it just boiled, sir, 

 with ones as big as wildcats) ; but they 

 are intensely wary, and carefully guarded 

 by the demon of ill-luck. Oh, the ago- 

 nizing memory of that winanishe which, 

 after a two hours' fight, made even tough 

 old Theodose lose his head and the fish ! 

 Mr. David Price is credited with an eleven- 

 pounder, the Prices always did things 

 on the largest scale, but among some 

 thousands we have seen only one seven- 

 pounder. With a rod of eight to ten 

 ounces, one gets almost the excitement of 

 salmon-fishing - - without its hard work 

 and vexation of spirit; for the number and 

 gameness of the fish make up for the 

 smaller size. They are unfortunately de- 

 creasing fast, both in number and weight. 

 In the Grande Decharge, where, on ac- 

 count of the winanishe's peculiar ways, 

 the pools were always few in proportion 

 to the extent of water, there are but a few 

 places now where a day's sport is certain, 



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