AN AMATEUR IN THE NORTH WOODS. 167 



perhaps be superfluous. The salmon differs from the speckled 

 trout in being more slender in form, and lighter-colored ; his 

 flesh rarely assuming so deep and rich a hue as that of the 

 latter, and his spots being more dull. The still, deep water 

 of these wild lakes is his favorite habitat, and there he often 

 grows to the weight of forty or fifty pounds, while the speckled 

 trout is rarely found in water of any considerable depth. The 

 bite of the salmon, too, is materially different from that of the 

 speckled trout. The latter announces his presence by a sharp, 

 eager nibble ; while the salmon bites with a sullen, clogged 

 jerk, very much like that of a perch, cat-fish, or Oswego bass. 

 His bite, however, is very sure, and a practiced fisherman 

 will seldom lose the fish that once takes his bait. 



The most effective method of capturing the salmon-trout 

 with a hook, is, to station a number of buoys in eligible local- 

 ities, and, previous to fishing, bait them liberally with small 

 fish chopped into pieces as large as the end of one's finger. 

 The salmon, having obtained a taste of the bait, will haunt 

 the place for days afterward ; and by baiting the buoys two 

 or three times a day, the fisherman will often obtain six or 

 eight fish from a buoy at a single visit, weighing from one to 

 five pounds each. If small fish for bait are scarce, as is often 

 the case, the buoys can be baited with the inwards of the 

 trout themselves, cut into small pieces with a hatchet on the 

 bottom ofgfhe boat. 



One pound is about the minimum size of the salmon-trout 

 as- they are taken in the northern lakes ; and very few smaller 

 are caught. When it is taken into consideration that a single 

 person can manage ten or twelve buoys with a good degree 

 of success, it will be seen that this method of fishing can easily 

 be made profitable as well as pleasurable, to those who are 

 disposed to turn it to account in that way. 



Great care is requisite in landing the salmon-trout, or he 

 will break loose from the hook between the water and the 

 boat. From the moment the fish is hooked the line should 

 be kept tight, or he will disengage himself. Pull in your line- 

 as rapidly as possible, and your prize will run directly to the 

 surface ; and then by taking a dexterous advantage of his. 



