LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS 



curious to note that the greater number of big 

 fish go up the streams entering the Restigouche 

 from the north: the Matepedia, Patepedia, and 

 the Kedgewick. In the Tay in Scotland, larger 

 fish are taken in the nets on the north bank than 

 on the south bank. 



The smaller fish go up the Upsalquitch and the 

 main Restigouche on the south. The stocking 

 done by the hatchery is all done with spawn from 

 the large round fish, and while some of the spawn 

 has been deposited on the Upsalquitch for a num- 

 ber of years, the size of the fish taken in the river 

 has not materially increased. Perhaps some time 

 we may understand more of these matters, but it 

 will only be by careful and observant study. The 

 first salmon come into the river soon after the ice 

 goes out, but not in very large numbers. There 

 is generally a good run in May, and from then on 

 they keep on coming until September. Their 

 habits are quite different when they first come in 

 from those they exhibit later on. They then seem 

 to prefer the very swift water, they are more ac- 

 tive, and certainly take a wet fly far better than 

 later on in the season. It was for this early stage 

 of the fishing that the regular salmon-fishing 

 methods and flies were devised, and up to the 



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