FOREST AND STREAM 
271 
laws of Nova Scotia impose a license fee of five 
dollars on non-resident anglers, and that the open 
season for sea-trout is the same as that for 
brook trout, namely from April ist to Septem¬ 
ber 30th inclusive. This brings us to the some¬ 
what simpler and more familiar conditions and 
methods of sea-trout fishing in the sister Province 
of New Brunswick and the adjacent portions of 
Quebec. 
Nothing can be imagined more totally differ¬ 
ent than the sea-trout rivers of Nova Scotia and 
New Brunswick. Instead of the deep, dark still 
waters that we have described above, New 
Brunswick presents clear, glacial colored streams 
flowing over rocky beds with frequent pools and 
swift rapids between them. There are few still 
waters and not many lakes on the sea-trout 
rivers though an excursion into the interior 
after brook trout would show both to be of fre¬ 
quent occurrence there. The streams are all 
beautifully clear and this is peculiarly so of the 
lovely Gaspe Penninsula in Quebec on the North 
Shore of the Baie de Chaleur on such streams 
as the Nouvelle and the Escuminac. Here the 
pebbles may be counted at a depth of fifteen feet, 
the fish in the pools being as visible as though 
on exhibition in an acquarium. The New Bruns¬ 
wick streams approximate much more than those 
of Nova Scotia to our own semi-mountain 
trout streams. One fishes the pools with the 
wet fly in the same manner, with an occasional 
shot at the rapids in high water. 
New Brunswick like Nova Scotia may be di¬ 
vided into a northern and southern district with 
Moncton as the divisor. With the southern dis¬ 
trict we shall not concern ourselves as little par¬ 
ticularly good sea-trout fishing is to be enjoyed 
there. It is the famous and beautiful north 
shore and its environs along Northumberland 
Strait and the Baie de Chaleur that affords per¬ 
haps the most wonderful fishing for both sea- 
trout and salmon in the world. Probably, in 
mere numbers these streams do not equal the 
extraordinary productively of some of the re¬ 
mote Nova Scotia waters, but in size they aver¬ 
age far ahead. In many of the larger rivers 
such as the Restigouche and Mirimichi, and in 
many of the smaller ones such as the Tabusintac 
and Escuminac four and five pound sea-trout 
occasion no comment whatever while six and 
seven pounders are by no means unknown. It 
is safe to look forward to an average of from 
two to three pounds in any of these streams. 
The railroads render the entire shore easily 
accessible and one may often put up with ex¬ 
cellent accommodations in neighboring farms. 
But, as is only consistent with this condition of 
things, most of the best rivers in New Bruns 
wick for both salmon and sea-trout are pri¬ 
vately owned although in many places the trout 
fishing rights may be secured for a more or less 
nominal sum. Guides in New Brunswick usually 
charge between two and a half and three dollars 
per day with board in proportion. The expenses 
are, therefore, much higher than those in Nova 
Scotia. 
As to a choice of grounds, the streams are 
so numerous that I shall only mention a few of 
the better known ones and leave the angler to 
investigate further for himself. There are four 
towns in New Brunswick which will do admir¬ 
ably for starting points, each being located in 
the heart of a perfect sea-trout country. These 
are New Castle, where one may fish the Mira- 
michi and its many branches in May and June; 
Chatham where one has not only the great Mira- 
michi but the wonderful little Tabusintac and 
many others such as the Bartibog and Eskeldoc; 
Bathhurst where by applying to Mr. H. Bishop 
one may let the rights on the Nipisiguit, whence 
the Tetagouche, Caraquet and Pockmouche are 
all available; and, lastly, Campbellton at the 
head of the Baie de Chaleur and the mouth of 
the Restigouche where one may choose not only 
that greatest of salmon rivers equally wonder¬ 
ful for its sea-trout, but the Cascapedia Mata- 
pedia, Upsalquitch, Nouvelle and Escuminac, as 
well. Campbellton is the starting point for the 
Gaspe Penninsular, above mentioned which con¬ 
tains in the writer’s opinion perhaps the most 
marvellous sea-trout fishing in the world July 
and August are the gala months for most of 
these streams, though the Restigouche and its 
tributaries are not at their best for sea-trout 
until September. 
In New Brunswick as in Nova Scotia infor¬ 
mation as to guides, rates and other details may 
be easily obtained from the Intercolonial Rail¬ 
way, the Tourists Association in St. John or the 
Chief Game Commissioner in Frederickton. New 
Brunswick imposes no license on foreign anglers 
but if one crosses the Restigouche into Quebec 
and the Gaspe Country there is a theoretical li¬ 
cense of $10 for trout and $25 for salmon, al¬ 
though the former is rarely enforced. As in Nova 
Scotia the trout season remains open through 
September, the salmon season universally clos¬ 
ing on the 15th of August. A few final remarks 
of general application as to outfit and equipment 
might not now be out of place. 
First of all comes a good split-bamboo rod ten 
or ten and a half feet in length. I choose the 
heavier trout rods because in a majority of sea- 
trout rivers one must deal not only with large 
trout, but often with grilse and salmon, and it 
is therefore necessary, if possible, to use a 
weapon which, affording plenty of play to the 
half-pounders, will nevertheless cope with a ten 
or fifteen pound salmon. The lengths above 
given will best accomplish this somewhat diffi¬ 
cult task, the rod should be fairly solid and 
heavy for its length with plenty of “come back" 
and that sort of supple rigidity which always 
identifies the really good split bamboo rod. No 
reasonable expense should be spared on this part 
of one’s outfit. As in all fly fishing the rod is 
the very gist of the angler’s success and the 
size of one’s pocketbook should be the only 
limitation put upon the purchase of the best rod 
obtainable. The reel is relatively of little im¬ 
portance. It should hold fifty yards of medium 
soft enameled silk line. A tapered line is con¬ 
venient but by no means essential. Fairly heavy 
trout leaders are usually in order though the 
writer, personally, leans toward a lighter weight. 
There is a prevalent notion that sea-trout prefer 
bright flies but I have never taken much stock 
in any notion on this much maligned subject.. 
1 have frequently used with success such flies at 
the Montreal, Cowdung, Brown Hackle (red 
body) Grouse and Claret, Cinnamon (the last 
two English) and varieties of the Silver Doctor, 
Parmachenee Belle and Jenny Lind. Whether 
the success of these flies was due to any inher¬ 
ent qualities of their own or merely to the fact 
that they happened to come first in the fly-book 
is a subject which it is not profitable to discuss. 
It is possibly true that sea-trout prefer the 
brighter flies in the salt water, but after they 
once get fairly into the stream I believe, if any¬ 
thing, the reverse to be the case. As a matter 
of fact, when sea-trout are rising they will take 
almost anything and when they are not they will 
take almost nothing. It is well to bear in mind that 
the size of the fly is just as important as its 
pattern, and experimentation is the only way to 
determine just what size is best. Between Nos. 
7 and 12 Limerick are perhaps the usual sizes, 
although there is a popular hallucination in parts 
of New Brunswick and the Gaspe Peninsula 
that sea-trout will take nothing but salmon flies. 
The sea-trout will also take the dry fly readily 
in many of the streams of the Maritime 
Provinces. 
