CHAPTER XIV 



THE MAN BEHIND THE ANGLER 



THE sea angler, the man who goes down to 

 the sea to take big game, is more or less 

 dependent upon the man who sits behind 

 him, his gaffer, or boatman, who, as a rule, if he 

 has been long in the business, is intelligent, clever and 

 often possessed of an individuality which materially 

 adds to his patron's sport. As a rule, the gaffer's duty 

 is to row; on the St. Lawrence he is the man behind 

 the angler. He makes or unmakes the creel; he 

 knows where the bass or " lunge " are, and goes 

 there. He is as interested in making a catch as the 

 angler, indeed more so. He baits the hook if live 

 bait has been decided upon, nets the fish, and at noon 

 on some one of these fascinating islands cooks a fish 

 dinner fit for the gods, or Lucullus, or both. 



The sport of angling has become so firmly estab- 

 lished that the gaffer and boatman is a profession, 

 well honored, and no little rivalry is maintained in 

 securing certain men on the various great fishing 

 grounds. The poor men are weeded out, and if the 

 angler to-day can find a boatman who has been in 

 the business several years, he can usually count on the 



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