Maboh 17, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STEEAM. 



131 



gea and §iver Jfijshmt*. 



FISH ri« SEASON 11V MARCH. 



1 WATKR. 



I'lene-vel, A'.vui' rfticnlatuis. 

 FLke or Pickerel, gao* hmus. 

 Fuse-perch (wall-eyed pike) 



Slizalcthium amerimnwm, S. 



-.,-.: ,•,,. etc. 

 Yellow Perch, r, mi tiumatUis. 

 Striped Bass, Booms «w>a«-i«. 



SALT WATER. 



iT 1 :. I'm . '-;. ,'.■.",.' a; a .- .remm. amie!;,; Ci- ,l,a ;o- a,' meme. 



Striped Bass, Kuccuh linealm. Pollock, Poltachius carbonari-im. 



Willie Perch. Moron*; aiueticana. \ 



White Bass, Rocaw r.h,r v tso-p«. 

 Mock Bass, Ambloplitvi. (Two 



species). 

 War-month, Chmnnbryttus guloitu/i. 

 Grapple, Pam&zys ni(/rci7naculattcs. 

 Bachelor, Povwxys annularis. 

 Chub, Seinotili* rorporalfa 



A SUMMER FISHING TRIP. 



ARK you an angler, reader ? If you are not I assure you 

 there are some of the real pleasures of life which you 

 have failed to discover. I fancy 1 see those of my friends 

 who practice the craft seated before warm fires in some cozy 

 library, during these cold evenings, with their materials, 

 pleasant reminiscences of past sport, scattered around in con- 

 fusion. 



And while ihey assort and reassert their gaudy flies, 

 hooks and tackle, they are busily thinking over the past 

 season, and planning for the future, meanwhile I will en- 

 deavor as a brother angler to interest you for a time with an 

 account of a trip which I had the fortune to make. 



The heat in the city had become intolerable, and the feel- 

 ings which my friend Jack and myself experienced when we 

 found ourselves spinning away were far from unpleasant. 

 Where we were to go was unsettled, plan we had not, and 

 so after drifting around fashionable watering places, idliug 

 away our time in dancing and making imaginary love on one 

 day, and on the next, interviewing ancient maidens and 

 petrified sandwiches at the railway stations, tired and weary 

 at last,, one quiet Sunday moruing we tumbled into that 

 quaint, old-fashioned town of Quebec. The fact was, we 

 were dying of eimui, and having been in this interesting old 

 spot many times before, of course Montmorency Falls, 

 French cathedrals and drives had lost all charms. In this 

 frame of mind we sauntered along the. promenade of Dufferin 

 Terrace. 



Jack threw himself into a seat, and while he puffed out 

 huge volumes of smoke, commenced to dream of the pretty 

 girl who had played on the guitar during the voyage down 

 from Montreal, and forming daring plans for her romantic 

 rescue and marriage. I lounged over the railings — hundreds 

 Of feet below was~the street, with the busy people hurrying 

 to and fro, then the shouting stevedores on the wharves, and 

 beyond lay the swift running river, glittering in the morn 

 ingsunlight, with its ships riding at anchor, and innumerable 

 little boats darting hither and thither. A pleasant picture, 

 yet withal so soft that I gradually lapsed into some pleasant 

 day dream, leading huge vessels high imo the air by a slender 

 spider's thread. A hand was laid on my shoulder, turning 

 quickly, before me stood an old friend and as true a disciple 

 of the Waltonian school "as ever threw a fly." He had 

 heard that wo were in town, he said, and proposed to send us 

 away on a fishiug trip immediately. "Capital !" we shouted, 

 and of course soon were in possession of all necessary 

 knowledge. In the gray light of the following morning two 

 muffled figures might have "been seen hastily descending the 

 steep street which led to the wharf of the Sagucnay steamers. 

 We are in time and hasten aboard. The morning is still 

 young, and the old city has uot yet thrown off its garb of 

 sleep. One faint star twinkled in the hazy sky, the rumble 

 of some early moving wagon and the roar of escaping 

 Steam alone break the stillness of the hour. A few dis- 

 cordant sentences of Canadian jargon, a shrill whistle, a 

 splash and rumble, and we are off. The wheels turn slowly 

 round, dense masses of black smoke pour from out the fun- 

 nel, and the steamer swings out into the rapidly running 

 river. 



Soon feeling the current she lazily begins to float down 

 that grand river, the St. Lawrence. " Swiftly we pass the 

 many yards of rafts which line the banks, fainter and fainter 

 appears the city, one by one the lights still burning fade out, 

 and soon the outlines of the tallest spires sink in the sombre 

 mist which is hanging over all- The isle of Orleans is reach- 

 ed, and as we pass the lower end the sun bursts on the pic- 

 ture. We had gazed upon the beauties of the river to our 

 heart's content, watched an energetic man waste time and 

 ammunition in scaring porpoises miles away, and finally set- 

 tled down to our novels, the usual solace of such trips. It 

 was quite late in the afternoon when we reached one of those 

 towns built in early times, and of which so few remain un- 

 touched by modern hands. 



The beauty of the scene was striking. Before us appeared 

 an ideal representation of one of those antique and lovely 

 Acadian towns so admirably described by Longfellow: 



" There In the midst of Its farms reposed the Acadian village ; 



Strongly bull i if ere the house;-;, a hi -,7a sol' oak and of chestnur. 



Such as the. peasants ol Normandy built in the. reign ot the Hen- 

 ries. 



A long, clean pier of white stone led to the houses. There 

 nestling among the green trees, with here and there a sprink- 

 ling of red and gold, with the misty blue hills for a back- 

 ground, lay the town that quiet summer day. From among 

 the houses'with the blue smoke here and there curling slowly 

 upward, came occasionally the shriil hark of a dog, the crow- 

 ing of a cock or the gentle cooing of a dove, while the busy 

 dame of the house, appearing with her pail of milk, proclaimed 

 the near approach of evening. A shrill whistle jars upon 

 our pleased fancy and brings our thoughts reluctantly back 

 to the scene around us. 



The planks are drawn in, and once more off we are hasten- 

 ing on our journey. 



The Saguenay Paver is soon reached and we begin to as- 

 cend. How sombre and magnificent it all appeared when 

 late at night we reached the place at which we were to fish 

 and prepared to leave the steamer. 



We hastily jump into our canoe, the steamer slows and 

 stops. "Cast off," some one shouts, and as the rope comes 

 whistling toward us we cannot help thinking that the last tie 

 which holds us to the civilized world has been broken loose. 



Instantly we fall astern and away goes the steamer send- 

 ing out showers of fiery sparks and casting a red glow on the 

 adjacent mountains. The dull patter, patter of the paddle 

 wheels, and the roar of the trembling furnaces at last hid us 

 farewell as the red light of the steamer disappears around a 

 projecting bluff. The only sound which breaks the stillness 

 of the hour is the musical ripple of the waves upon the rocky 

 shores. The moon comes out from behind a dark cloud and 

 lends a glittering sheen to the rippling surface of the inky 



water; the barren mountains tower above in majestic grand- 

 eur, while at their massive bases long, dark, mysterious 

 shadows flit with ever varying outline. Gradually other 

 sounds are to be hoard — the "hoot! hoot !" of some solitary 

 owl, and the blowing of a porpoise far away. Stretching out 

 before us was the land kissing with its green and velvet car- 

 pet the inky river, and losing itself in the misty blue back- 

 ground. 



A faint light glitters among the trees and toward it our 

 canoe rapidly shoots. * * * 



The sun is shining brightly in the morning as we step into 

 canoes which are gently grating on the sandy shores a waling 

 our departure. Dip, dip, dip, and away we go up ihe danc- 

 iug waters, up past rows of pine and cedar, past falls and 

 rapids, past pools, where gaily playing trout show their glit- 

 tering sides, until we reach our fishing grounds. Seldom 

 does one meet with such beauty and grandeur as are pos- 

 sessed by this stream. 



Mountains, some of solid rock devoid of all living things, 

 others in beautiful hues, stretch far, far away, while the bab- 

 bling brook, seeming to sing Tennyson's song— 

 " I come from haunts of coot and hern : 

 I make a sudden sally, 

 And Sparkle run among the fern 

 To bicker down a valley"— 

 winds sparkling and dancing through the misty hills. 



As we advanced up the river how soft the scene I The 

 canoe advancing silently or cutting the rapid Water with a 

 merry gurgling noise, the trout and salmon jumpiug and 

 showing their glistening sides and the plaintive note of some 

 sweet songster manifest that peaceful and quiet, happiness 

 Which is Nature'sgreatest charm. 



And now we determine to commence work in good earnest. 

 And so with that iutent I assort my flies, joint my rod and 

 adjust, my line for the encounter. For this pool I will use 

 my favorite cast — No. 1, a fairy ; 2, cla> et ; 3, ginger hackle. 

 You all know the favorite spot at a glance, and in it, recog- 

 nize the hoineof the wily trout. The river, rushing round a 

 mossy point, broadens into deep aud placid water, on whose 

 cool bosom the lowest branches of the drooping trees ever so 

 lightly dip, and then the banks, approaching near to one an- 

 other at its lower end, cause the water to dash precipitately 

 away. 



You have caught the sly trout, vny readers, and you know 

 well the method. Cautiously approaching and pushing the 

 alders aside, with ever so gentle a noise, the Hies light on the 

 water. For a moment, silence ; then, as you draw them 

 toward the bank, a rush comes, a splash ; with rapid darting 

 he turns and runs, and the waters boil, but at last he is 

 yours "Ah ! not. such a large one as I thought," 1 hear you 

 exclaim. But there are many more, no larger than he with 

 whom you deal, 



"Some lightly tossing to the grassy hank, and lo the shelving shore, 

 slow dragging some." 



" But should you lure 



From Iris riaim Immure, bom-m li ih-? ranalmi rooi 

 Of pendent irees, the monarch ol the brook, 

 Behooves von then In ply voui- finest art. 

 Long lime' he. cannons tolimvliie:. scans the fly, 

 Arid oil attempt to seize It. but 'as oil, 



Thorium mlw;mn ' re";; 1 -, ml Ion- Idir. 



At last, while haoir ova- me -ii.ided sun 

 Passes a cloud, m- desperat..- lakes the death, 

 Willi sullen pinner At. am ]-,. nails alone-, 

 Deep-struck, ami runs our all the icrm-i lnmediiiic ; 

 Then seek- the mrihcm oo.m, lie sh.oi. r im in . .1. 

 Then the raverrjeii bank, .hi- old secure ii.r.ris. 



With viehil err nan, I 

 That feels him still, yet to his turtous course 

 Gives way, you. now retiring, following now 



ACI'OSS '.he Sl'el-'lll e ■, UI.USI f L I -. idle -, i e r ; 



TlUfloatlmr brain noon his mv-atklesm-ride, 

 And to his fate abandon d, lo ' be shore 

 Vou gaily drug your unresisting prize." 



But much as one enjoys the pleasure of angling, how in- 

 dispensable is the following meal! Who does not. remember 

 that enjoyable day when he caught; and ate his first trout ? 

 The soft winds from the waters playing round ; the odors of 

 the flowers, and the geueral surrounding of the place, all go 

 to make, the effect lasting in your mind. 



It afforded me a great deal of amusement to suddenly 

 come on Jack one morning as he was fishing, and I soon dis- 

 covered the secret of his catch of large fish Having caught, 

 out all the smaller trout he still ling' red, maintaining that 

 there was always one or two large ones which he must have, 

 and so 1 watched as he labored to secure them. First he 

 tried the hackles, going through them all ; then an ibis, and 

 a claret and a fairy, a coachman, an alder, a gray drake, and 

 finally with a huge white miller, and he has him. 



We had fishing on the river for five miles, making some 

 large hauls, and we pined for a change. 



One afternoon a half-breed made his appearance, and from 

 him we learned that he had discovered a new lake from which 

 he maintained that he had taken a barrel of trout in two 

 hours. Although we sincerely doubted his veracity we nev- 

 ertheless sallied forth with our canoes and men to investi- 

 gate Dark Lake, the one in question, was in the wilderne-s 

 surrounded by muddy ground. After embarking we found 

 the water to be only a foot and a half deep all over and with 

 a muddy bottom. 



Assiduous Jack explored every conceivable nook, whipping 

 diligently the while, but with no success. I was also unfor- 

 tunate. About to give up in despair I made a chance cast to- 

 ward an old log when — goodness gracious— the water fairly 

 seethed with trout. Jack soon steamed up, and together wo 

 made that, nasty muddy little hole yield sixty-four pounds of 

 fine trout in almost an incredible time. Where they ever 

 came from, as the natives say, "Je ne sais pas." But our 

 tackle got short in the matter of trout flies, and so we must 

 needs stop Let me here advise all my friends who may 

 read this article either to take a good fair supply, or else mas- 

 ter the art and take materials for making their flies. I men- 

 tion this latter since I am myself a maker of flies, but on this 

 occasion foolishly left, materials behind. There yet remained 

 only a few days, and this we devoted to salmon fishing. One 

 can never forget the first salmon he caught. 



The pool was near at hand and cautiously we approach. 

 " Cast there," says our canoe-man, and forthwith our line, 

 with a "king of the water " ijyv gracefully align is. "Urn 

 good," he says. Well, I should say so; for suddenly splash 

 goes the water, and out he comes, then swish, and with a 

 whiz the line is gone, and the rod is merrily dancing to mu- 

 sic from the buzzing reel. Now he darts savagely away, hut 

 check him gently— care is the word. How he rushes and 

 tears, now up, now down, with many a jerk and plunge. 

 But the line is strong, and we are in no hurry. Soon we 

 think he is ours. No, not yet ; his death sti uggle is at hand 

 and he grows weak. 



Noble fellow ! he has striven hard to be free. Slowly reel 

 him in, and in an instant the cruel gaff is in his side. He 

 lies on the bank half dead, a fifteen-pounder, and my first. 1 

 Dear reader, there are many pleasures awaiting you if you 



will but stretch forth your hand. IS you have, never been 

 one of the angling brotherhood I would that I could allure 

 you away from hot and crowded watering places, from indi- 

 gestion and insomnia to pur recreation, that you too could 

 breathe the air perfumed with the sweet, smelling woods and 

 flowers, feel the cool breezes loaded with odors of pine and 

 balsam, tastetheicy waters of the spring stealing from its cover 

 of mosses, partake of refreshing sleep and food, and live, aye 

 live, as only those, do -who live under the tent of nature. 

 But, such pleasures canned always last, and we must sadly 

 pack up and return. We presented our men with many 

 pounds of fish for their winter use, right glad to get in ex- 

 change for them health a d vigor in our bodies. We em- 

 bark and resolutely turn our backs upon the spot. As each 

 stroke of the paddle brought u- nearer the noise and busile 

 of civilization and left behind us the sweet flowers and the 

 bright birds we could not help feeling much of the same- 

 spirit which prompted old Izaak Walton to write so aptly, 



" I In these llowery meads would be, 



•| lice crvsrrii. streams should i-.oi.-iee me; 



ho rvhree h.iiTi-i.eii -. i 'ii i: mine nr.i ■ 



I, with my angle, would rejoice," 



There are many attractions offered to weary business men 

 for summer enjoyment, but if you really want sport please 

 remember how "I went a fishing," and do likewise 



C. Tuorrr. 



BOBBING FOR EELS 



BY COSMOPOLITAN 



BRETHREN of the rod, turn not up your nasal protuber- 

 ances in contempt for this homely sport, for when 

 tired of fishiug in the legitimate manner, much amusement 

 may be had in the long summer evenings by bobbing for the 

 slimy though nutritious eel. One pleasant summer— ah, 

 what pleasant memories hover round the words -the two 

 colonels and myself had fished for striped bass an t weakfish 

 and caught so many that the caterer of the mess swore that 

 no more fishes should be brought to the house : and, looking 

 for fresh fields and pastures new, old Bris suggested, " Why 

 uot bob for eels ; the work of the day will lie over ; wc can 

 take the Black Maria, with Hunter to pull ; have a good 

 supply of creature comforts in the shape of cigars and lemon- 

 ade ; lie back in the boat, take it easy and get lots of fun ? " 

 "Agreed," said Van, and Hills, nothing loth, also assented. 

 Fortunately, in our bag of sand in which we preserved our 

 salt water worms (Ifereii), a goodly number si ill remained of 

 the vermicular beanies and we set to work to make the bobs — 

 for it should be mentioned that without bobs, bobbing would 

 be a failure. Thread may be used, but silk or worsted is 

 better, and this is the process : A piece of ligature silk, four 

 feet long, doubled, is threaded through a large, long needle ; 

 the worm is transfixed— end for end, as the sailors say— and 

 is pushed to the end of the silk, another and another, until the 

 entire length appears like a gigantic worm; both ends are 

 fastened with knots, the string doubled and doubled in itself 

 and tied in the middle, leaving on each side a bunch of 

 wormy flesh the size of a child's hand. These are the bobs, 

 and very enticing they look ; and if made of the salt water 

 worms are much better than the ordinary angle worm kind. 

 Huuter was directed to have ihe boat in readiness at 8 p. m., 

 and at that horn- we started, Van and I in the stem, Bris in 

 the bow and Hunter in the middle. The boat was anchored 

 about twenty feet from the sea-wall of the fort (Wood) in 

 five feet of water ; we light our cigars, arrange our bundles 

 of worms, tie a sinker to them, fasten them to the two upper 

 joints of our rods and cast overboard. Hunter, an old " shell 

 back,"— a soldier in name because of his enlistment, but a 

 sailor all over -disdaining such trifling, looks as contemptu- 

 ously as he dares at the eager satisfaction depicted on his 

 commanding officer's face as he feels the first nibble. 



floop-la ! " Out came Bris' line and on the hob a litt e 

 eel not much bigger than one of the worms he had tried to 

 devour. A silent snigger from Van who, laid out. in the 

 stern sheets, seemed to pav more attention to the stars than 

 to his line. A splash and over went his rod, a rousing big 

 fellow having seized the bait and dragged the pole from his 

 lazy hands. Fortunately the line fouled with the anchor 

 rope and it was recovered, and, when hauled in, had an eel 

 still attached to it which probably weighed not less than two 

 pounds. Whisk I and Pills pulled out a big one ; and in 

 his haste to secure it striking the coxswain across the. face, 

 who at once spit to leeward, shiftedhis quid and anathematized 

 Ins eyeballs (or ours) most heartily. Next take for the in- 

 fantry colonel, who this time secured an eel so large that he 

 was obliged to haul him ir by the line for fear of breaking 

 his rod, when it was found that the animal's teeth were 

 so fixed in the fibres of the silk that, he could not be shaken 

 off, aud it was necessary to decapitate him before the bob 

 could be used again. This operation was performed by the 

 cheerful and long-suffering Hunter, who, after a severe tussle 

 of some minutes, succeeded in hacking off the head and 

 getting himself covered with slime from heal to foot. More 

 anathemas and a relapse into a sullen silence only broken by 

 the constantly repeated hauling in of snaky-looking victims. 

 It is an actual fuet that no sooner did he bobs touch the 

 bottom than the eels would go at them with a rush, some- 

 times two, even three, being captured at, one time. After an 

 hour or so of this kind of work we rested awhile before 

 putting on fresh bobs, and Bris sung us hisfavorite song, the 

 chorus of which ran as follows : 



" Oh, the death of my poor children, 



Oh, the deal h that ih.ey did die; 



horn- am lim k ;.:."! some -.'". hinv, neil. 



Some got choked with chicken pie." 



Those of my readers who have, traveled West will doubt- 

 less recognize these familiar words. We resumed work again, 

 aud for another hour haided in eels until the bottom of the 

 boat was covered lo such an extent that we were obliged to 

 keep our foot, ou the gunwale to prevent the "riptyles," as 

 Huutei called them, from climbing up our legs. At length 

 my patience gave out, and I mildly suggested to our amiable 

 commanding officer that we should give up oiu- sport for the 

 night aud pull to the wharf. 



No, sir," he replied. "I don't go in until I have filled 



s boat, with 



Over poor Hunter's face a smile was seen to gleam when 

 I made my proposition ; at the colonel's response he became 

 elootnv as midnight again. 



" Well, I'm going ashore," said I, " If I have to wade for 

 it." 



"No, sir; I command this boat. Tou must see the fun 

 out. Obey orders, even if you are to be devoured with eels. 

 Did you ever hear how our old friend the general, who by 

 this tine is peacefully asleep in his cot in yonder fort, obeyed 



