SECRETS OF THE SALMON 



stream. They threw the poles over and over 

 again and we could hear them hit gravel bottom. 

 Finally one hit near the salmon and he started 

 straight for the tail of the pool. The men did 

 their best, but he got by them and down he went, 

 taking the line out so fast I thought he would get 

 it all. He did get 700 feet before I got into a 

 canoe. I only had 720 feet on the rod. We pad- 

 dled after him. We were in such a hurry that I 

 was in the stern and the guide in the bow. We 

 rapidly gained on the fish, as he was not swimming 

 very fast, and at last we caught up to him about 

 a half-mile below in a rapid smooth run near a 

 bank. The guide got out the gaff and as we passed 

 over him made a lunge and gaffed the fish, but 

 just as he raised him up the canoe passed under 

 a projecting spruce log we neither of us had seen, 

 as we had our eyes on the fish. As he raised 

 up, the log caught him in the back of the neck and 

 knocked him flat on the bottom of the canoe with 

 the struggling salmon on his chest. I managed 

 to save both the salmon and the rod, but the guide 

 was a wreck for a couple of days. The fish was 

 a hook-bill male, nineteen and one-half pounds. 

 They tell me these sulking fish are generally males. 



