10 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Proprietors of fishing resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them m FosEsr and Stekaii. 
Adirondack Trout, 
The ability to capture big trout where the average fish- 
erman can not do so is an art of itself, and may be termed 
a sort of side degree which the angler sometimes takes 
after he has been thoroughly initiated into the flilysteries 
of the regulation stj'k of fishing, or in other words a kind 
of post-graduate course. The^ amateur fisherman will 
rarely make much of a success in angling exclusively for 
large trout, although it occasionally happens that at tlie 
outset he ha? phenomenal luck. In order to work in- 
telligently, however, and be able to capture the big fel- 
lows where any are to be found, the angler must have 
a thorough knowledge of the Avays of the trout, indudirlg 
their likes and dislikes, their habits, .strong points and 
%veaknesses. He should also understand some of their 
whims and eccentricities. He cannot hope to cortipfe- 
hend them all, but he can at least be prepared for theit- 
doing the most improbable and entirely unexpected thing, 
and thereby often times save himself from sore disap- 
pointment by the losing of a splendid fish. Many of these 
points can be read about in books, but the only way in 
Avhich the angler can acr4uire a practical knowledge ^f 
them is by actual experience and personal observation. Of 
course' in ordinary fishing almost anj; angler may once 
in a great while take a big trout, bttt in order to become 
more expert than the average fisherman in this particu- 
lar branch of the sport, one must exercise his wits, and 
use caution, patience, perseverance, ingenuitv and good 
judgment. 
There lire certain lakes in the Adirondack region 
abounding in big speckled trout, on which a party of four 
or five amateur anglers might fish all day Avithoiit catch- 
ing enough for a respectable mess. In fact, anglers who 
have had some experience and been fairly successful in 
catching small trout in other waters might also encounter 
the same difficulty, for they would find that they were face 
to face with an entirely different proposition Avhen utider- 
taking to bring these fellows to creel. Under certain 
conditions these big trout are capable of making a man 
feel very miserable and thorottghly disgusted because of 
his lack of success in capturing them. It is extremely 
aggravating to sit in a boat on a lake and see speckled 
beauties weighing from Ir^ilf a pound to two pouftds flop- 
ping out of the water all around you and be unable to get 
enough for supper, but such things will happen unless 
a person is resourceful, observant and ingenious. The 
tantalizing chaps can usually be made to succumb, pro- 
vided the angler is sufficiently determined in his efforts, 
but It is only the post-graduate, as a rule, whose per- 
sistence and skill are equal to the occasion. If the tfout 
refuse every kind of artificial fly, which the angler has iii 
his book and decline angleworms, spoons and imitation 
bugs with equal impartiality, the situation becomes some- 
what involved, it must be admitted^ but the exjpert will 
not be wholly discouraged. Of course one of his first 
efforts when he found the trout reluctant to take his lure 
was to endeavor to ascertain what they were feeding oft, 
but having failed in this or in his siibsequent trfals to 
tempt them with something resembling what he believed 
them to be preying upon, he resorts to other measures. 
If there are no minnows obtainable to be used for bait, he 
will search in rotten logs and stumps for whitewood 
grubs or go in quest of young mice and moles, or bugs and 
beetles of some kind, anything which he thinks might 
tempt the appetites of the trout. If he can not induce the 
speckled beauties to come to the surface of the water, he 
will sink his hooks. In case he should fail after going to 
all this trouble, and the trout are still showing them- 
.selves occasionally, he may conclude to give them a rest 
for a while. Perhaps he will go ashore and smoke his pipe 
for a tmie or possibly he may take a walk and be gone one, 
two or three hours, but he will not give up beaten with- 
oiit at least one more trial. There is a possibility of 
failure once in a while, of course, notwithstanding all that 
can be done by the best of fishermen, but in such cases 
the post-graduate will simply suspend hostilities and re- 
new them early on the following morning. 
On some of the larger Adirondack streams it is possible 
for the amateur angler to fish for miles without so much 
as having a glimpse of a trout weighing over half a 
pound, even when it is a good day for fishing, while the 
man who has taken the side degree aforementioned in 
subsequently going over the same ground mav place 
several weighing from half a pound to two pounds in 
his creel. 
Several anglers with whom I am acquainted who meet 
with excellent success in capturing big speckled trout, 
commonly use minnows or small shiners for bait in pref- 
erence to any other lure. Some of them use what is 
termed "a chub's tail," being the rear portion of a small 
fish mcludmg not only the tail, but a small section, per- 
haps half an mch long, of the fish itself. This they im- 
pale on a good-sized hook, having a double snood, pass- 
ing the point of the hook through near the tail, out again 
and then into the thicker portion of the bait sufficiently 
deep to conceal both that and the barb. This lure is 
often very effective when the big speckled fellows decline 
to take a fly or worm. Good results are frequently 
f-'btamed by using a whole shiner impaled on a small 
gang of hooks, and also with artificial minnows. For 
trolling purposes, the Archer spinner is excellent. Ordi- 
narily, where angleworms are used for bait in fishing 
lor big trout, it is advisable to loop several of them on 
the hook at one time, so as to make a good-sized squirm- 
ing bunch. The hook should be kept well baited, and 
some anglers insist that the barb should always be kept 
covered. The ventral fin of a small trout, with a .small 
piece of the meat attached, is a favorite lure with a 
number of succes.sful fishermen whom I know, and in 
certain waters under certain conditions it works' exceed- 
ingly well. When impaled on a hook and, drawn on 
lop of the water, the fin bears a striking resemblance to 
some of the artificial flies. 
Some fishermen relate interesting tales about capturing 
lug trout by using young mice for bait, and I have no 
d.oubt as to their truthfulness^ although I have never re- 
sorted to such iSei'sUi-fel ftiysei^, t haVe khowh quite a 
llurnber of anglets who have b.eeii very successful in 
taking large trout with, the tise of whitewood grubs, and 
Clhers who claimed to have had good luck with crickets, 
but, judging from,\VhiU others, say, as well as from my 
own obserA'ation, 1 am inclined, to the opinion that one 
of the most tempting morsels Av.iiich can be pfgsiehtea to 
the speckled beauties is a big, filt gfasshoppef. 
Of course grasshoppers ai'e hot always to be had. but 
when ^thcy can be found the pleasitre of trout fishing is 
p-iaterially enhanced by the exciting sport incident to col- 
lecting_ the bait. If you are an old hand at fishing, the 
probabilities are that aAvay back in boyhood's happy hours 
you used grasshoppers to tempt tlie trout. You remem- 
ber as though it Avere but yesterday those good old time? 
Avhen a limb cltt^ from a tree by the Avayside. a cotton 
line and^^a bent piii or ringed hook, constituted, the arha- 
teivr outfit with Avhich niore tfo'Ot Were captured than are 
taken Avith the split bamboo rod, braided silk lin^ and 
artificial flies of to-day, and bigger .ones. too,, if fisli 
stories ate to he relied upon. But if, you u.sed grass- 
hoppers for bait you first had to catch them, and you 
remember perhaps hoVv anxious you Avere to do so Avhen 
the big trout that Avas in hiding in the deep pool under the 
roots Sf the maple tree Avhere the rail fence cfosse.d the 
stream was slapping the surface , of , the Avatef Avi^h his 
tail at intervals, but Wdvild no.t look at a Avorm-baited 
hook. Yon remember, also, AA'hen you laid doAvn your 
pole and started out into the open field, how the grass- 
hoppers got up in front of you like a bev-y of frightened 
quail. Then Avhen you began the hunt in earnest and 
marked doAvn a particularly large and fat fellow Avhich 
Aou felt Avas just the one you Avanted, what an exciting 
chase folloAved. Yon did not calctdate on a chase to start 
AVith. as the big, lazy-looking grasshopper had apparently 
settled on a spire of timothy t6 spend the day, but Avheri 
you reached out to take him up Avith the idea.o.f putting 
him in yolif bait box, he unexpectedly jumped from tin- 
der your hand and . alighlevl on another grass stalk ,two 
feet aAvay. Next Vinic }'OU Avere .a little rhofii cautioiis 
and 'approached the grasshopper sloWly until your hand 
was almost oyer hinj. Avheft you made a sudden grab. 
But again, he iumps jiist in time, and noAV is sitting on 
the leaf of a big bull thistle, six feet distant, .tterA^buSly 
rnoAfing his legs, and looking around t5 sefe if you are 
coming. You conclude to make .one more trial, although 
the grasshopper has CA^hibited such astonishing energy and 
actixaty that fou hegin to have more respect for' him. 
Taking your straAv hat in your right hand, for use in 
case of emergency, you draAV near to the thistle and care- 
fully reach out with your left hand to grasp the big fel- 
low who noAV seems to be enjoying another cat ha p. S'lit 
you only succeed in getting Yie'Af -eftough to war rant a 
faint-hearted sGrt of grab before he is off once niofe. ahd 
although yO'u strike at him spitefully Avith yduir hat. it only 
makes matters worse. When yoii get oh your feet again 
after a, poorly managed wrestling bout Avith the bull 
thistle, ahd have picked the prickers out of yoiir hat\ds 
and legs, and . donned the remnant of thg straw hat, you 
■go and look for another grasshopper. But they are all 
pretty much alike, and if you are really anxious' to catch 
one, he is rnorally tfeftain to keep you busy aAvhile before 
you get hihi Avhere you can force him to give up his 
'■''morasses" and become bait for the big trout. 
W. E. Wohcmt: 
Ut:ca, N. Y., June 26, 
Inexpensive Salmon Fishing. 
Editor PoT^s't and Stream: 
How much does it cost to kill a sa'Mon? 
Well, that depends. If you are a member of the 
Ristigouche Club your bill may fUn up a thousand Of 
more, but ordinary mortals can do it for a good deal 
less, 
I dropped oft at Campbellt&n, N. B.. on a mid-june 
morning, and looked Up Billy Sproul, of the Royal 
Hotel, and got a pointer or tAvo. At 6 o'clock 1 took 
an accommodation train a fcAv miles Avest to Flat Lands, 
hailed a fatherly old fellow, William Delaney, care- 
taker of the Montgomery and Suction Water, and stated 
the case. William had a canoe, but no other man Avas 
presently available, so we tAvo Avent out alone. The water 
Avas practically free, a nominal rental of $i.oo a day be- 
ing charged per rod. There Avas perhaps half a mile of 
it altogether, and the Ristigouche River been unusually 
high, no pools Avere in sight. We pulled out a fcAV yards 
from shore, and dropping a stone for an anchor, cast 
to right and left, choosing a Durham-ranger fly of rather 
large pattern. The second or third cast brought a nice 
[elloA\' to the top, a little short, however, and a few min- 
utes later another, shorty likewise. 
'"Black salmon," said Will-iam, "and no good anyway." 
These kelts or black salmon are fish that have wintered 
in the rix'er, and are lean, lanky felloAVS, not fit for food, 
but liable to give you as good a run as any other. Our 
first victims may or may not haA^e been kelts; the guides 
are good-natured fellows as a rule, and sympathetic, and 
William may haA-e been letting me down easy. 
The stone is pulled up, and Ave drop down a fcAV 
yards further, and after a Avhile, with a moderately short 
cast, a good-sized fish takes the fly, turns over, and then 
trouble begins. Right out into the river he goes, the 
reel screaming Avith dehght, one could almost imagine 
then an eruption in the water, and three or four feet of 
glittering silA^er is in the air for a second or two. An- 
other run and then a sulk at the bottom, with a steady 
chug, chug, as if the fish was trying to get rid of the 
hook that A\'as interfering Avith his freedom of motion. 
"Keep the strain on h.im," said William, "and look 
out when he goes again." A few minutes of suspense, 
then another rush and another jump, and away he races 
up the center of the river. 
"A Metapedia_ salmon bound for the club house for 
sure." But towing a , canoe , was a pretty heavy drag, 
and soon there were signs of distress. The fish led some- 
what more easily, he was reeled up. land ran out several 
times, each rush a little less vigoitous. All the time 
the canoe Avas being worked nearer shore, till at last 
I Avas able to get out on tiie gravel. Pifty feet out the 
fish was Ijing almost exhaftsted on the top of the Avater 
and was coaxed jn till a stroke of the gaff impaled him 
and he was kicking himself on the gravjel, when a blow 
froih a stick atraightfehfed hiin .out. A Metapedia Saliilon 
Rfe Wa§, deep and chunky, only a day or tAvo from salt 
water, bright . and shining, and on the scales a few hotirs 
later weighed 22 pounds, 
They Avere not .^peeiajly keen Ih .the Elftei-n.oon., one oi^ 
two short rises, a run foi- a few minutes and a lost flsli, 
and jtist as \Ve Avere preparing to suspend operations i. 
good stiff strike. Tliis fish did not jump, but sulked for 
perhaps half a hour, then a Avild rush or two. In vain 
Ave tried to guide him to a snug harbor, he Avould make 
for the south shore where there Avas no chance to land. 
A rather stiff rapid intervened, and in the trouble of 
navigating it AVith one man. the fish said good-bye, tak- 
ing wi.th him the fly and half. the leader. It was neatly 
trjiin7time again, and reluctantly we Avotind tip operafidns 
for the day. 
Going iip on the train neM iiibfhihg j. fouiid that two 
othef partigfe hiid hrf-hhged to fish the Montgofnery ahd 
Suction waters, so , Delaney and .1 betook ourselves- else- 
where, on AA'ater of his OAvn, Avitli fair suc.CesS. 
One of the men. had .only, a trout outfit and . a shaky 
one at that, ,a Ayeak reel Avith worii-otit .fnechariiSlh. ^hd 
a line that Bfol<^ easily between, the fingers. He had 
rieyef Seen a saltnoh in, th^ A\',ater, but with the proverbial 
luck of . a tenderfoot, hooked one early in the .day, and 
being blessed Avith two good guides — Micmac Indians — 
humored and nursed him for an hour and a quarter, 
never daring to trust the line, but alloAving the fish to 
have his owm Avay till he Avas practically dead and offered 
no resistance to the gaff. Forty pounds and a little over, 
the scales said, and the record fish of the season. 
A heavy Avind prevented casting the third day, and 
there being ho .§ignS bf any let Up after dlhHef, the tAVo 
Indians whom I had fehg^ged rah doWn the river to gel 
a . few' ti^oUt. tt Avas between the seasons, yet. by dint 
of hard fishing Ave got a do^eri. or So, several of fbhf 
poiind's oi- ovef; At timfeS the liver is alive AVith trout 
of largie. sig.C. "thii. smelts coine ttp from the sfca in itn- 
mense sho.als and the trout folIoAV them, afterward going 
away up the river to the spawning groilnds at the head- 
AvaterS. aii , i- - ■ - ■ 
Now for figut^§.^ Tiiere werfe three days*, gbod fisHing. 
I,.eaving the railway, transportation out of tHe question 
the, account stood thus: 
Hotel, three days $4-50 
One man tAvo days and two men one day. . 8.50 
Incidentals 2.00 
Total ... I ... I . i 1 = . 1 = = . .$IS,BO 
Fbr tackle, biie can pleas.fe hi.fnself. A gbbd sttbiig 
,^ahnpn rod Can be i3oUg}lt f.oi: |rd .tij, ,$i.i; iliirie h.A», 
feet Ibhg, ii St?Htihel-.Df St. John, R; B., that cost. $13. 
I?vit I have, had it sixteen .years, used it for all kinds of 
fishing, and it is still good for, a life tiriie. A good skl- 
.mon.i-eel costs $J Up, ihine cost $4, it has a click 
but doSI hot multiply, has also been used sixteen years. 
A good Avaterproof silk line costs $4 for 100 yards, but 
this year I used an Abbey and Imbrie, and No. 6 hard 
linen braid cost $1.10 per lOb yards — a little light, per- 
haps, but ansAvering the purpose. In flies one can be 
as extravagant as he pleases — there is something Avon- 
derfully tempting in a tackle shop=—but as good as we 
need can be got in any city for 25 cents each. For- 
rests at ?S Cents are prettier and neater, \}\xt nb bet- 
ted. You fhlist have, foui- i<in(is anyway, Durhahi-fahgei\ 
silver-doctor, jock-Scott ahd hlack-dpse, and Can add 
anything ei§fe. . you like— fairy and silver-gray will not 
Come aihiss,. You Avant three sizes, I prefer double hooks 
fbi" thfe srnaiier sizes, but that is a.rnatter of taste, Lead- 
fei's Cost from 25 Cents to $2.50. 1 have used good cheap 
Ones and had deaf ohes^ — 75 ^fehts is a fair priCe. They 
should teSt f to 0 pbUnds dry. Your guides will likely 
have a gaff, but it is just as Avell to oAvn one in case of 
accident, a large gaff is necessary, Avith a spread of S or 6 
inches. 
Practically all the salmon fishing in Canada is reached 
b}^ the Intercolonial R&ihvay. The Ristigouche, with it.? 
tributaries the Metapedia, CauSapscal and Upsalquitch, 
are the nearest to Montreal. The 1. C. R. foUoAvs the 
Metapedia for almost 50 miles, to Avhere it em.pties into 
the Ristigouche at Metapedia Station, 8 miles above 
tidewater. The Causapscal joins the Metapedia 35 miles 
above Metapedia Station. 
The Causapscal is owned entirely by the Ristigouche 
Club, Avho also control most of the Metapedia, and a 
good deal of the Ristigouche, 
The Upsalquitch has been reserved by the New Bruns- 
wick GoA'ernment. and is leased at $2.00 per day per rod. 
There is a great deal of good water and a- dozen or more 
fishermen Avould not be in each other's way. Fishing 
in the Ristigouche and Metapedia is good from May 
until August, the Upsalquitch is at its best in July. The 
salmon in each river are entirely distinct and can be told 
at a glance by the guides; those in the Upsalquitch a-rc 
a trifle smaller than the others. 
Campbellton, N. B., at the mouth of the river, is the 
only considerable tOAvn in the Ristigouche countiy, and 
is a good place for headquarters. The Royal aforesaid, 
is a good friendly place to stop, cheap Avithal, and Billy 
Sproul is its prophet — good sportsman, with an inti- 
mate knowledge of all the Avater. Decidedly a good man 
to write to. The agent of the I. C. R. at Flat Lands. 
Avill also answer any questions addressed to him. Good 
board may be had at Flat Lands, and at farmhouses in 
the neighborhood. 
In the early season. May and up to middle of June, 
there is considerable good Avater that is also entirely 
free for salmon fishing — from the loAver limits of the 
Ristigouche Club, a mile beloAV the Metapedia bridge, 
to tidewater — say seven miles in all — there is no restric- 
tion on catching trout anyAvhere you are likely to get 
them. During my three days' stay this year some thirty- 
salmon — many over 30 pounds each — ^Averc" killed in the 
Avater I have mentioned. Good stretches of water can 
be had beloAV Metapedia at $1 to $2 per day, and still 
better Avater on the Metapedia and Ristigouche up to 
$10 a day. Mr. Alexander MoAvat, Campbellton, N. B., 
has several excellent stretches very accessible, good all 
through the season, at varying" prices. W. A. Motr. 
M. P. P. Campbellton, N, B., president of the Bay 
Chaleur Tourists' Association, c;m be consulted about 
the Upsalquitch. CM. YouiTG, 
Ontario. 
