FISHING IN NEWFOUNDLAND 247 



average three or four fish each day. Slack days will 

 come, of course, but they are usually offset by days 

 of exceptionally good sport when one may, perhaps, 

 land as many as twenty to one's own rod. The size 

 of the fish is not by any means the only gauge of 

 the sport, for the comparative weight of tackle and 

 fish have to be taken into account. A large salmon 

 on a heavy two-handed rod will not give as much 

 sport as a much smaller fish on a light grilse rod. 

 And then again there comes the question of the 

 water : rough, rapid water increases the excitement 

 enormously, while working from a canoe or boat 

 on a large quiet pool greatly reduces the fun, in 

 that it makes the landing of the fish a matter of 

 far greater certainty. The whole sport consists in 

 balancing the chances between fish and fisherman 

 so that the element of uncertainty is developed as 

 far as possible. Though the average salmon in 

 Newfoundland waters will not run over ten or 

 twelve pounds, there are plenty that will weigh over 

 twenty, and there is always the chance of getting 

 a thirty or thirty-five pounder. The different 

 rivers seem each to have their own sized fish. 

 One river will seldom or ever give anything over 

 ten or twelve pounds, while another has a probable 

 limit of fifteen, and so on, apparently without any 

 particular reason. So also is it with the time when 

 the best fishing may be had. One river isbest in 

 June while another, but a few miles away, is not 

 good until August. The man who wants three 

 months or more of continued fishing can readily 

 find it by following the run of fish as they come to 

 the various rivers. If your time is limited and you 



