FOREST AND STREAM 
279 
* 
* 
sure and inspire confidence. On rough rivers 
the canvas proves its worth. It resists well and 
is not easily damaged. One thing about it ot 
especial note, of course, is the fact that it has 
the demanded and incomparable lightness. 
Taken all in all, it is a commendable craft and 
well worth your discriminating consideration. 
The average length for a canoe should be six¬ 
teen or seventeen feet. 
The canoeist’s tent should be light and dur¬ 
able; also it should be waterproof, for reasons 
that need not be dwelt upon. The small water¬ 
proof tents, most common in the Hudson Bay 
region, are prominent for mention in that they 
contain all these points, and at the same time 
they are comparatively cheap. A small balloon 
silk tent, of the shelter type, will cost you from 
eight to twelve dollars, it all depending upon 
what grade you acquire. I have one in view 
that we used which was four by seven feet, as 
the extreme size on the ground, and the height 
was at five feet; the weight was no more than 
four pounds, the price for same being eight dol¬ 
lars and fifty cents. Common canvas, unwater¬ 
proof, should never be brought along on an ex¬ 
tended trip. It can only prove a dismal failure. 
Incidentally it may be said that many go with¬ 
out a tent, and sleep under their uprighted ca¬ 
noes. This is more or less foolish, inconvenient 
and detrimental to solid comfort. In the first 
place one always has the mosquitoes, sand flies, 
deer flies, gnats and a hundred other winged 
things to contend with. With a good shelter 
tent, fixed over with some netting this is almost 
done away with. Sleep under your canoe, un¬ 
protected, and your nights will not be dream¬ 
less, even though you may build immeasurable 
smudges, and though you may have the one 
and only divine and “kill on sight” mosquito 
dope. A waterproof sleeping bag is a thing 
that should be closely considered. It may here 
be said that if your tent is waterproof, then your 
sleeping bag need not be so attended to, and 
yet, for all that, remembering the availability 
of unforeseen circumstances, the waterproof 
sleeping bag has its proper place in the outfit. 
With the waterproof bag over your feet (pre¬ 
suming that'you are to use no tent), the rain 
can beat down on the lower part of your body 
all night, and you will be dry, but your head 
is unprotected. Aside from the sleeping bag 
there should be included in the outfit some extra 
covers, and a waterproof canvas is therefore not 
out of place. A pair of woolen army blankets, 
and a canvas make a pleasing substitute for a 
sleeping bag. Some commend that the blan¬ 
kets be sewn together to form a sleeping bag 
and it is a good idea, for every inch of bedding 
must be made to do duty and none shall lay 
idle, but there is a better system than that, in 
my opinion. If the individual be supplied with 
large safety pins, he can readily, and temporarily, 
turn his blankets into a sleeping bag, that will 
well do. If you are using the blanket and can¬ 
vas combination, a pocket in between called a 
browse bag may be used. This browse bag is 
filled at night with leaves and other likely ma¬ 
terial to form and act in the place of a mat¬ 
tress. Otherwise boughs .and leaves are spread 
out on the floor of the tent, first making the 
ground even, and free of stubs, after which the 
canvas is spread over it and your temporary 
sleeping bag follows suit. The rubber floor 
cloth, or sod cloth, as it is sometimes called, 
often proves a distinct blessing. All the above 
when rolled into a bundle, or in separate bun¬ 
dles, takes up comparatively little room in your 
outfit. 
The question of clothes for the canoeist is one 
that should not be considered as such a simple 
and easily covered subject. In the first place 
supply yourself with roomy trousers of some 
durable material, soft rather than stiff, to give 
you all freedom possible. A heavy pair of 
woolen trousers should be included, as well as 
a light pair. In the matter of underwear in¬ 
clude woolens. The nights are often very cold 
in the north, especially in the latter part of the 
season, in the fall. When paddling in the day¬ 
time become used to getting along with as little 
on as possible and at night bring forth the 
available heavier garments; among which should 
be found a sweater of respectable proportions 
and warmth. Many have underwear without 
arms to them and this gives ample freedom for 
the play of the arms, but it does not increase 
the matter of warmth. Flannel shirts, coming 
in good material, I always give preference. Two 
should be had along. Either gray, gray-green, 
or dark blue makes a fine shirt, coming in price 
from two, three or four dollars, or five for a 
highly excellent army shirt. But always remem¬ 
ber to include a heavy garment, to protect your¬ 
self with against the cold, dewy mornings and 
the sometimes brisk northern summer nights. In¬ 
cidentally it may be said that the best footwear 
is shoepacs, or moccasins, as they are sometimes 
called. They should be large enough to admit 
of the use of at least two pairs of socks, and 
should come quite high up on the leg. With 
good-soled, durable pacs one can tackle almost 
any stretch of rough portage with assurance. 
They do not slip and skid. They are firm, yet 
pliant, and in the canoe allow the feet rest and 
easeful comfort. 
Those canoeists gain the most out of a trip 
where the most care is taken in the assembling 
of everything, when on the portage. Where 
everything is thrown together hap-hazard, the 
best and most reasonable ease of transportation 
cannot be expected. But where things are sep¬ 
arately considered, and properly adjusted, every¬ 
thing goes along well, and the expenditure of 
energy, both mental and physical, is more ra¬ 
tional. The usual method in use in the north 
for carrying the outfit, tents, sleeping bags, etc., 
is by the use of the tump, and the broad fore¬ 
head strap, and when one gets used to this sys¬ 
tem he will be able to carry greater and greater 
loads, but the weak, and physically questionable 
man from civilization must content himself with 
small loads. The various paraphernalia, as for 
instance the clothing, are stowed away in various 
small bags, made for the purpose, and all assem¬ 
bled in one whole and inserted in a greater bag. 
At all times care and consideration should be 
used. Simplicity should dominate your selec¬ 
tion ; and remember the absolute need of light¬ 
ness as a prime requisite, first, last and all of 
the time.. 
The 
Habits of the Salmon 
T HE habits of the salmon have been almost 
a lifelong study for me, as I live by the 
side of one of the best streams in an 
eastern province of Canada. 
You cannot get any fish in February. I have 
tried faithfully for years but never succeeded 
in hooking one during that month, but in March 
I have killed many salmon, and there are also 
others who have landed many a silvery beauty 
in that month. 
I believe the fish come in early from the sea, but 
for some reason will not rise to the fly; when 
the salmon comes from the sea on his courting 
expedition he is a lordly fish, and takes his own 
lordly time about it; he tarries fo- days at a 
time in a shady pool, then on some moonlight 
night makes a break for another pool farther up 
the river, but there is no telling where he may 
be found on any given date; they may be piesent 
in any ■ pool in goodly numbers but will not 
deign to look at a fly. But some hours later, or 
it may be next day or next week, lie will rush 
open mouthed at any fly that is cast over him; 
so you see it is pretty hard to tell when you 
have got him coming. 
We get no salmon in February, but Lake them 
in early March, with Durham Ranger or an all¬ 
pheasant feather fly. April is a good month; 
best flies Durham Ranger and Silver Doctor. 
May I consider the best month on this river 
for salmon fishing; flies Blue Doctor and Jock 
Scott. In June and July grilse are here in great 
abundance every year; for grilse we use ordi¬ 
narily trout flies; among the best killers are 
Grizzly King, Brown Hackle, Montreal Coach¬ 
man, Yellow Sally, Professor, Cow dung and 
Jock Scott. Ours is a “yellow river’—that is, 
we use a good lot of yellow in the make-up of 
flies. 
The question is sometimes asked: Are enough 
fish taken to furnish sport sufficient to offset the 
discomforts naturally incident to what is ordi¬ 
narily a most inclement season, i. e., February 
and March? It is a difficult question to answer; 
it depends upon how long the sportsman stops 
and if he happens to strike lucky days. I 
once killed two in thirty-five minutes; at other 
times one might fish a week and never see a 
scale. 
The facts will illustrate one of the vagaries of 
a most capricious fish; that the salmon should 
come freely to the fly in a neighboring river in 
February and refuse to accept it in another, al¬ 
though many fish are present, is strange in¬ 
deed ; probably if very large flies were used, 
three or four inches in length, such as are used 
in the winter, fishing on the rivers of Scotland 
and Norway better success might be had. 
ANGLER. 
