FISH AND FISHING. 



IS THE OUANANICHE A FRAUD? 



New York City. 

 Editor Recreation: Your correspon- 

 dent. Dr. French, in the September num- 

 ber of Recreation, says the Ouananiche 



is greatly " overrated," because it does not 

 rise to the fly, as the trout does. 



All this is true, but still I have found the 

 ouananiche the gamest fighter of any fish 

 I know, for its size. The repeated leaps of 

 a ouananiche excel anything in that line I 

 have ever seen. He excels the bass, or the 

 rainbow trout; for the brook trout seldom 

 leaps after it is hooked. Of course, the 

 ouananiche cannot be compared with the 

 salmon or the muskalonge. 



I made my first trip to Lake St. John in 

 August, 1889, when I heard, in Quebec, 

 most marvellous stories of the strength 

 and ferocity of the ouananiche. I then 

 went up the Mistassini, for the fish had left 

 the Grande Decharge, on their spawning 

 trips up the rivers. I camped for a week at 

 the foot of the first fall, and went daily to 

 the foot of the fifth fall, in my canoe: for 

 there were no fish found below. I took 

 many ouananiche, both at the foot of and 

 just above the fifth fall. These fish were 

 mostly large — 3 to 4 pounds, several even 5 

 pounds. They took the fly badly except 

 when deeply sunk, or aided by a bit of 

 " ouitouche " (roach). However, for fight- 

 ers, they left nothing to be desired. 



On my second visit, in 1893, and on my 

 third visit, in 1896, I fished only in the 

 Grande Decharge, around and below the 

 Island House, and found the fish numerous 

 but much smaller than up the Mistassini: 

 getting none above 3 pounds, and these 

 mostly trolling in the lake, above the Island 

 House. I took several fine fish just North 

 of Gull island; but all these were on the 

 spoon. The fly was taken only in rapid 

 water. Below the great fall in the Grande 

 Decharge. I took 6 fish out of 8 hooked, 2 

 at a time, each weighing 2 pounds, trolling 

 with 2 flies. 



The Ouananiche I found a delightful fish 

 Avhen hooked, but disappointing and ca- 

 pricious as a taker of the fly — just like the 

 rainbow trout we have in the brackish 

 water of the river into which our brook 

 empties, at the South Side Club, on Long 

 Island. 



If anglers who visit Lake St. John would 

 confine their catches to fish weighing 2 

 pounds and over, and would not bring in 

 baskets of 19 fish weighing 30 pounds, or 

 about iY 2 pound each, the ouananiches 

 would have a chance to grow, and the large 

 fish would rapidly increase. I have seen 

 many strings of ouananiche brought in, 

 numbering 50 or more, running from Yz to 

 onepound each. 



The grandeur and expanse of the fishing 

 waters about the Island Hon ther 



with the rivers emptying into Lake St. 

 John, add greatly to the enjoyment of a 

 trip to that region. 



Your correspondent complained oi Un- 

 limited fishing area. I had no such trouble, 

 for everything was free to a guest of the 

 Roberval or Island Hotels, except the 

 waters owned by a Mr. Griffiths, who very 

 kindly offered them to me, in 1893. Mr. 

 Beemer (not Beanwar, as your correspon- 

 dent has it — perhaps a misprint) as pro- 

 prietor of the hotels, controls all the other 

 waters. "Scott's" is an old, now disused, 

 camp below the Great Fall. The trip to, 

 and fishing at. Lake St. John are expen- 

 sive — $7 a day for guides, canoe, board, 

 as your correspondent states; but I found it 

 paid me to go all the way from New York, 

 which is farther by a few miles than from 

 Quebec, where your correspondent lives. 



In conclusion, the ouananiche is not all 

 the railroad and hotel people claim for it. 

 but still it is a grand fish, well worth the 

 trouble and money it costs to get it. Thi^ 

 is my opinion after 3 trips to Lake St. John. 

 Paul F. Munde, M.D. 



ABOUT THOSE PERCH. 



New Bedford, Mass. 



Editor Recreation: In a recent number 

 of Recreation I read an article on red and 

 white perch. I don't know who wrote it, 

 as it is not signed, but whoever did write it 

 has much to learn regarding " white 

 perch." 



In the first place he says they are a salt- 

 water fish, and that they ascend our coast- 

 wise streams. There never was a white 

 perch known to be caught or even seen in 

 salt water. They are strictly a fresh water 

 fish and descend our coast wise streams 

 into brackish water to feed, preferring 

 shrimp and small herring to any other kind 

 of food. I admit it is commonly under- 

 stood that the " white perch " is a salt 

 water fish; but how it ever came to be sup- 

 posed I do not understand. 



I reaffirm that there never was one known 

 to be caught or even seen in salt water; 

 and I defy anyone to gainsay it, or to prove 

 the contrary. It is easy to make a state- 

 ment: but another thing to prove it. 



The habits of the white perch, in de- 

 scending our streams into brackish water, 

 are identical with the habits of our brook 

 trout in that respect. They are often found 

 together, but not always. 



Again, the writer in question says that 

 the white perch are easily caught, with any 

 kind of bait; they biting at anything. That 

 is another great error. They are one of the 



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