HOLIDAYS ON A HOUSEBOAT. 



247 



as required. Quantities were only caught 

 when friends came to visit us for a few days' 

 fishing and in such cases we sent our sur- 

 plus to the steamer. 



One evening 2 enthusiastic anglers from 

 Toronto, a doctor and a manufacturer, ar- 

 rived. Next morning 2 boats were in read- 

 iness. My father and the manufacturer took 

 one, the doctor and I the other. Before 

 starting the doctor proposed that the boats 

 return in 3 hours and weigh the catch, 

 only bass and wall-eyed pike to count, the 

 mate of the boat with the lightest weight 

 to be elected for a bottle (whatever that 

 means) to be paid on return to their club 

 in Toronto. 



The challenge was accepted and I rushed 

 my competitor for favorite fishing grounds. 

 The day was hot, bright, and unfavorable, 

 but our boat returned within the time, with 

 14 fine bass. Our rivals came in a little 

 later, with a mysterious air, just as we were 

 sitting down to luncheon. They said they 

 had good sport, but declined to tell how 

 many fish they took. Presently we saw 

 Alex pass the open door of the dining room 

 with their catch. 



" How many, Alex? " 



" Thirteen bass, sir, and a wall-eyed pike.'' 



" Strange," said the doctor; " we have 

 come out even." 



" Yes," said his opponent, " but look at 

 the size of ours." 



We feared the trial of weight, but as our 

 opponents did not propose it, I suspected 

 a trick. On investigation we found they 

 had taken a large wall-eyed pike from the 

 icehouse on starting, and on returning had 

 instructed Alex to take 8 of our largest fish 

 to their boat and let us see him removing 

 them. We examined the total catch and 

 recognized our 8 fish. When called on to 



produce their 13 bass they acknowledged 

 the joke, and owned up to having caught 

 only 5. 



We had several competitions of this 

 nature, but both boats were usually more 

 successful than on this occasion. 



A number of our guests were fond of 

 frogs' legs, and Roy and I knew a small, 

 shallow lake where frogs with legs as large 

 as those of autumn chickens were plentiful. 

 Instead of catching them with a hook baited 

 with red flannel we adopted the more 

 sportsmanlike plan of shooting them 

 through the heads with a Marlin .22 calibre 

 rifle. 



One day we were leisurely returning with 

 a big supply of frogs, Roy trolling, with a 

 long line out, when we were suddenly start- 

 led by the whir and screech of his reel. The 

 line darted out with such velocity that a 

 sudden check would mean the total wreck 

 of rod, reel and line. 



" A muskalonge, a powerful fellow. I've 

 raised a blister thumbing the reel." 



"Raise the tip and give him the full 

 spring of the rod." 



Zip! and 100 feet of line were out. 



" Put on the drag and check him before 

 he reels off all your line." 



It was some time before the fish could 

 be stopped. Then he ran in faster than the 

 line could be reeled up, sulked awhile near 

 the bottom, then darted like an arrow to 

 one side, then straight away, but never to 

 the surface. After a game fight of 20 min- 

 utes, Roy had him exhausted, and with 

 considerable splashing he was landed in the 

 boat — not a muskalonge, as expected, but 

 a 12 pound salmon trout. 



I shall leave my experiences with muska- 

 longe, wild duck, deer, etc., for another ar- 

 ticle. 



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