BIG TROUT OF THE NEPIGON 



half pounds on a rod that weighed only as many ounces, 

 and that is very much the same thing. 



A light reel, holding not less than thirty to thirty-five 

 yards of fine waterproof line, with six to nine feet of 

 good single-gut casting and a few patterns of the stand- 

 ard flies already mentioned, will complete the angler's 

 outfit. Neither the large variety of artificial flies nor 

 yet the fineness of workmanship on the part of the tier, 

 recommended by most angling authorities for use in 

 the small-stream fishing of the Eastern States, is neces- 

 sary to the taking of the untutored, uncivilized fonti- 

 nalis of the heavy waters of Northern Canada. Flies tied 

 upon No. 3 and No. 5 hooks are usually not too large. 

 Often the fish rise to salmon flies. If the water is clear 

 and the weather warm, and the smaller sizes are neces- 

 sary to tempt them, there need be no anxiety on the 

 score of the hook if a heavy fish is struck, providing 

 the quality and the temper of the steel are good. I 

 have seen Mr. George E. Hart, the well-known Water- 

 bury angler, kill a thirty-pound salmon upon a fly that 

 would not be considered large for a fingerling trout. 



Every part of the tackle should, however, be thor- 

 oughly tested, for a four, five, six or seven pound trout 

 is a wanton warrior. He is not unlikely to break 

 water, though his leaps as a rule are less frequent than 

 those of a smaller relative. As a matter of fact, there 

 is no rule at all by which to judge of the probable 

 nature or outcome of a fight with fontinalis. His 

 rushes, when he feels the hook, are long and violent ; 



45 



