With Gun & Rod in Canada 



with my left hand, pass it over my head and over my rod 

 to the right-hand side, stand up and pole into the swift 

 water. 



If I am expecting an immediate strike in the first run, 

 I have my line trailing behind the canoe before I start 

 to use the pole. In the latter case, I do not stand up, 

 but do the poling from a kneeling position. In case of 

 a strike on the trailing flies, which is no uncommon 

 occurrence in Nova Scotia waters, I grab the rod with 

 the left hand, shove the pole under the thwarts on the 

 right-hand side, and in the same forward motion release 

 my anchor with a twitch of the rope. 



As a grappling-hook will not as a rule hold on a rocky 

 bottom with a short rope, but invariably will hold with 

 fifteen or twenty feet of line, I let it pay out until it 

 comes taut against the thwart to which it is tied. Three 

 or four seconds suffices for the above operation. Now 

 for the fish. 



When they stop biting in this run, I rearrange my 

 gear, pull up to my anchor, fasten it by a quick twist 

 of the rope around the thwart, seize my pole (which is 

 now on the right-hand side), and proceed up the stream. 

 If you use a creel, keep it just in front of your knees. 

 If you are not using a creel, kill your fish and put them 

 in the stern of the canoe behind you. This will prevent 

 the bottom of your boat from getting slimy and slippery 

 in case you wish to stand up, and will keep them from 

 flopping around and getting tangled up in your fishing 

 gear or dip-net. 



If you find the fish are biting fast, after you are anchored 

 turn round carefully in the canoe and face downstream. 

 Fish will invariably use the current to assist them in 

 their fight for freedom, and this means that most of the 

 fishing will be done downstream from the boat. It is 

 much less tiresome to be facing the fish in his struggles 



1 60 



