96 
SALMON PISHING IN EASTERN CANADA. 
totum, as lie took rushes round the canoe in the rapids. At last he was 
cleverly gaffed as he floated dead beat past the canoe. I went back 
and was soon into another who repeated the tactics of the first, so I 
took him downstream and landed him in about an hour; he was27 lb. 
Again I had a similar experience with a 84 lb. fish, the largest taken 
this season. As I did not hook the first till 12.80 and had to get lunch 
about 3, it was nearly dusk before I had finished with my 34 lb. fish, 
and drunk his health. 
Another day I got 4, but this is nothing uncommon on this river; I 
got 18 altogether in 20 days’ fishing, and they averaged 15 lb. each in 
weight. I had several blank days and the sport (though not to be 
sneezed at) was by no means up to the average of the party who pre¬ 
ceded us, so far as numbers go. 
We had one very heavy spate and it was exciting work going up the 
river against the strong current; we had of course to hug the shore but 
constantly encountered fallen trees, which projected into the river and 
which are most difficult to get round. But though we had narrow 
squeaks, we had no accident. 
One of our party saw three Moose, which came close to the water’s 
edge. 
I was watched fishing for some time one day by a good-sized black 
bear who was on the bank, just abreast of where I was fishing in mid¬ 
stream. He came down intending to cross and had all four feet on a 
small stone preparatory to launching into the deep, but on further 
thoughts decided to return the way he came. 
We had depredations made on our fish by the wily Mink, 
a sort of water-weasel, which can scent fish a long way off. These 
animals begin their meal at the head of the fish and one of our 
party having left a fine -salmon on the bank for a few minutes, return¬ 
ed to find a mink was so busily engaged in eating it, that his man was 
able to knock the mink on the head, but not before he had spoilt the 
fish to send away. It was very pretty to see the huge families of wood 
duck (I once counted 16), which, not yet able to fly, used to rush along 
the surface of the water with the anxious mother bringing up the rear. 
If they went across a pool, they would frighten the fish for a while and 
when we saw them we used to try and head them back. 
A trip of this kind is so interesting that one could go on writing 
for ever on incidents connected with it, but I feel that I have already 
far over-taxed the patience of my readers (if there are any such!) 
and I will therefore conclude by saying that I cannot wish for any of 
my brother officers any more delightful excursion than such a one as I 
have described, and though I have only been speaking of one particu¬ 
lar river, so far as my own experiences go, I quite believe that what 
I have written would apply to numbers of other Canadian rivers. 
