THE ATLANTIC COAST SALMON 
405 
ing his display of strength and agility in sur- 
mounting a crashing torrent that threatens with 
instant death anything that dares to approach 
its mad tumult of waters. A Salmon can make 
his way upward through a sheer fall of water so 
long as the water is in a solid mass, but the mo- 
ment that it becomes admixed with air the white 
water no longer gives a sufficiently firm hold for 
the broad caudal fin, and the Salmon must leap 
entirely over the fall. There are pretty well 
authenticated instances of Salmon clearing a fall 
of twenty feet. I have measured leaps to nearly 
this length on falls where almost every Salmon 
that flew through the air over the fall fairly took 
one’s breath away, and they were going up at 
the rate of three or four to the minute at that. 
I know of nothing short of watching a house on 
fire that is of more engaging interest than watch- 
ing the Salmon throwing themselves over wicked 
waters. The Salmon must have some advan- 
tages, to be sure, for accomplishing their best 
feats. If the water beneath a fall is much broken 
with rocks and rapids a fish cannot gain sufficient 
momentum and velocity for hurling himself far 
into the air; but given a deep and fairly quiet 
pool to start from, and the Salmon look more 
like great birds than like fish as they sail upward. 
One can sometimes find a place to stand at the 
edge of a fall, and if he remain quiet for a few 
moments the Salmon will begin to go through 
the air over his head in quick succession.” 
Dr. Morris states that from the Penobscot 
River, in Maine, to Hudson Bay, Salmon enter 
almost every river on the coast, but south of the 
Straits of Belle Isle the sawdust and dams in the 
streams of the lumber region constitute most 
serious obstacles to their progress and existence. 
But “the time is coming when twenty rivers on 
the Maine coast will have their mills so managed 
in the interest of the Salmon that they will rival 
the historical streams of Europe. In Washing- 
ton County alone there are six rivers that Sal- 
mon now ascend every year.” 
The Ouananiche , 1 whose name is of Indian 
origin, and is pronounced win-nan-ish' , is a fresh- 
water Salmon, dear to the heart of every angler 
who has ever brought one to gaff. 
It is fondly spoken of as the “ Leaping Oua- 
naniche ,” and frequently as the Landlocked 
Salmon. It is neither more nor less than a 
' Sal' mo ouan-an-iche' . 
fierce-fighting, fresh-water understudy of the 
Atlantic salmon, which if not self-restricted to 
fresh water would hardly be described as an in- 
dependent species. When first taken from the 
water, it has “a beautiful peacock-blue” color, 
which disappears at death, changing to the light- 
gray back and sides and silvery belly of the 
Salmon. Although called “landlocked,” this 
fish can, and sometimes does, live in salt water, 
— in the mouth of the Saguenay River, for ex- 
ample. 
The Ouananiche is a fish which loves rapids 
and rushing water as a mountain sheep loves 
crags and precipices. Because of the strenuous 
life it leads, it is beyond doubt the most vigorous 
and athletic fish that inhabits our waters. 
Says Mr. Eugene McCarthy: “None of the 
fresh-water fish can equal its fighting powers, 
and, pound for pound, it will outfight even the 
salmon. Ouananiche are great smashers of 
rods and tackle, unless one understands how to 
play them, especially when they make their 
numerous high jumps from the water. It is not 
an exaggeration to state that these jumps .will 
average at least five to six, and frequently will 
number ten to twelve feet. And such leaps! 
Two or three feet out of the water, often toward 
the fisherman, then a rush deep down, a pause, 
a succession of jerks that would seem to tear the 
hook loose, a wild rush of varying distance, and 
a run back, almost to the angler’s feet. A fish 
weighing 3-| or 4 pounds will make a fight lasting 
ten or fifteen minutes, often longer; and that 
means hard work for every moment for the fish- 
erman.” (“Familiar Fish,” p. 126.) 
This fish is best taken with a fly, on a rod of 
from six to eight ounces, with No. 4 or 5 hooks. 
Its home is in Lake St. John, Province of Quebec, 
and its tributaries; its outlet, the Saguenay, 
and no one knows how many of the rivers of 
southern Quebec that flow into the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence ; and also the rivers of Labrador. 
The Sebago Salmon , 2 of Maine, is a strictly 
fresh-water, or “landlocked,” species, which 
takes its name from Sebago Lake, its type local- 
ity. It is essentially a 15-pound fish, with an 
average in Sebago Lake of from 8 to 10 pounds. 
Owing to the quiet waters it inhabits, and the 
powerful tackle used in fishing for it, this fish 
does not manifest the vigor and fighting quali- 
2 Sal' mo se-ba'go. 
