58 WINTER TALKS ON SUMMER PASTIMES. 



and five of these only weighed 11, 15, 17, 19 and 21 Ibs. 

 respectively. The Restigouche is almost equally famous 

 for its large fish, and the Metapedia and Merimichi used to 

 be. In the rivers I have more recently fished the average 

 of a season's catch will not exceed 18 Ibs., and the largest I 

 ever caught in my present river weighed only a fraction 

 over 29 Ibs. 



But I trust no reader will imbibe the idea from what I 

 have written that the sport of salmon angling depends upon 

 the size of the fish. As a rule there is more lightning in a 

 12 Ib. than in a 35 Ib. salmon, and I have had more trouble 

 killing fish of the lesser than of the heavier weight. They 

 don't fight so long, but they are vastly more lively while 

 they are fighting. The only fish 1 ever found it impossible 

 to prevent running under my canoe so as to do me damage 

 weighed but 11 Ibs. The movement smashed my rod into 

 several pieces, and I only landed him after the exercise of 

 such skill and patience as excited the wonder and admira- 

 tion of my delighted gaffer, and astonished myself. 



1 cannot call to mind the record of any salmon taken 

 with a fly on this side the water larger than that killed by 

 Gen. Arthur. But larger fish are recorded as having been 

 killed with the rod in English and Scotch waters. One was 

 taken last summer in the Tweed that weighed 60 Ibs. An 

 English earl is credited with one that weighed 69f Ibs. A 

 Highlander, after an all-night fight, is said to have landed a 

 73-lb. fish, and Hofland says a salmon was sold in the Lon- 

 don market which weighed 83 Ibs. When this was, or 

 how taken, is not stated. I know Christopher North once 

 declared he had killed a fish weighing "90 Ibs. neat." But 

 1 make no account of that fish, because it was only caught 

 with * 'a long bow, "to serve as a climax to the Ettrick 

 Shepherd's extravagant "fish stories," as given in Macken- 

 zie's edition of the "Koctes Ambrosianae," vol. 4, p. 83, 84: 



SHEPHERD. What creel-fu's [of trout] you maun hae killed! 



NORTH. A hundred and thirty in one day in Loch Awe, James, as 

 I hope to be saved not one of them under 



SHEPHERD. A dizzen pun' and twa-thirds of them abune't. 

 Athegither a ton. 



