266 SALMON FISHING 



have caught the cohoe on the fly only. The steel- 

 head I have never fished for ; but I understand that 

 it is very game, and plentiful in the rivers of Oregon 

 and California. The king salmon, up to 50 Ibs., I 

 have caught on a spoon bait in the salt water at the 

 mouths of rivers. The record for one caught on a 

 rod is 72 Ibs. These salmon run during July and 

 August. The cohoe I have many times caught on 

 a fly in the estuary of a river. Sometimes he 

 reaches 22 Ibs. ; but his average is between 8 Ibs. 

 and 12 Ibs. 



" When I last passed through Vancouver city, Mr. 

 A. Brougham, one of the best amateur fly-tiers, who 

 resides in Vancouver, told me he had heard of a 

 river, lately discovered, on Vancouver Island, where 

 the spring salmon had been caught on a fly. For 

 his size, however, the cohoe, I think, is the more 

 sporting fish. In fact, I would not put him second 

 even to salmo solar in point of gameness. As regards 

 appearance he is similar. His flesh, however, is a 

 deeper pink. The flesh ot the king salmon is the 

 most like that of the Atlantic salmon. I found 

 that the cohoe took any silver-bodied fly, and that 

 No. 4 or No. 5 was the best. 



"Judging from facts I gathered on the Pacific 

 Coast in 1903, I fancy that the canning business is 

 being overdone, and that it is bringing about de- 

 terioration of the stock. New canneries are being 

 built every year. 



"It is, I believe, a fact that the Pacific salmon 

 remain in the sea for four years before returning to 



