524 



Sea -Trout Fishing. 



rod, whil» the reel sings its morning song over a brace of fish caught 

 for breakfast, which the cook-guide is preparing. This need be 

 nothing more substantial than ham and eggs, of which a week's 

 supply can be kept (unless, indeed, a fondu is prepared, which the 

 guide can be taught to compose very well), fish-balls, — and David 

 is an adept at these, — the trout, broiled on a wire gridiron, buttered 

 toast or Boston crackers grilled, and marmalade, with tea or coffee. 

 For a change, a partridge-chick can now and then be knocked over, 

 or a squirrel or rabbit tried. After that comes the ckef-d'ceuvre of 

 our wood-cook — crepes / These are thin rice cakes, fried crisp in a 

 pan, and eaten with maple sugar. Do not grudge the men a good 

 hour over their own breakfast. This month is sunshine in their dull 

 year, and such plain fare sybaritic to them. And a pipe in this air, 

 lit with a wood ember, is so doubly delicious that it needs no patience 

 to prolong it awhile. About nine, the canoe floats off, bearing you 

 sitting flat in the bottom, and the guide upright astern, either to the 

 lower pools to fish from the boat, or to the upper water where land- 

 ing and wading are more convenient. The fish will rise at almost 

 any hour of the day, and in any weather, — rather more languidly 

 from noon till three, under bright sky ; rather more actively at early 

 morning and after four. Where the water has gathered smoothness 

 again after passing a rapid, it begins to deepen and converge to a 

 point. Just there, in ten or fifteen feet depth, among the rocks 

 forming a sort of dam, where the outlet of the pool breaks over in a 

 glassy curve, the large trout love to lie, watching for insects swept 

 down. Your fly follows the swirl, swimming swifter, till, just as it 

 nears the rock at the very cleft of the fall, there is a surge, a tug, and 

 the fish darts up-stream. The large ones seldom break the surface. 

 Turn the rod at once with the reel uppermost, and do not check him 

 till he tries to move down again, and then only gently. If he can 

 be held away from the brink, — and it is not often, with care, that he 

 slips over it, — from four to seven minutes should suffice to bring him 

 to net ; though if he be fresh run from tide and over three pounds, 

 twice that time may be needed. It is well to search the neighbor- 

 hood of the bushes, too, before descending more than half-way down 

 the pool, or of any great rocks scattered on the bottom. 



While the fisherman is busy, the guide left at home has been 

 cleaning and curing the catch of the day before. No fish are wasted. 



