Page:The Atlantic Monthly Volume 36.djvu/151

1875.]

Ten Days' Sport on Salmon Rivers.

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posterity. He was on his way with a friend to the Nippeseguit River, of which he is the lessee, and we derived from him much valuable information as to the conduct we should pursue when we act- ually reached our theatre of operations.

From Dalhousie we engaged two large wagons to transport us and our luggage to Metapcdia, thirty-five miles distant. Our road lay along the borders of the bay and the banks of the Restigouche which forms it. We could see now and then, after reaching the river, a salmon jumping, and the stream was so beauti- ful that we could hardly resist the im- pulse to alight and try a cast or two on the way. It was dark when we reached Metapedia, a very small town for its name, but having a fair hotel, built, I think, in anticipation of a much larger patronage than it has received. We found to our joy that the first run of fish was at its height, and going to the cel- lar saw six noble salmon, killed that day by an English officer, who was stopping at the house, and Mr. Shaw the acting landlord. None of these fish were be- low twenty pounds, and the heaviest was above twenty-seven pounds. The con- fluence of the Metapedia River with the Restigouche at this point forms a succes- sion of pools, four, I think, in both riv- ers; and most of the fish taken here are large, the average weight in 1873 being above twenty-one pounds, in 1874 about nineteen pounds. The salmon that an- nually ascend the Restigouche River are natives of it and its tributaries, the Met- apedia and Upsalquitch, and vary con- siderably in size and shape. The Met- apedia and Restigouche fish are large but easily distinguishable from each oth- er by persons familiar with them. The Metapedia pools seem to be the first resting-place of these fish on their jour- ney from tide-water, about six miles be- low. The Upsalquitch salmon are small- er, more silvery, and shorter and thick- er for their weight than those of the other rivers, and very seldom stop at these pools on their way to their own river, which they find six miles above.

The next day was the 4th of July, very cold, rainy, and windy, with the

thermometer at forty degrees. Early in the morning Mr. Mowat, the guardian of the Restigouche and the Upsalquitch, came down to see us. He said the Up- salquitch was, or should be, full of fish, and as we did not want to start for it that day, he gave us permission to fish where we were.

Haines and I, in the utmost trepida- tion and haste commenced getting ready amid the ill-concealed sneers of the sur- rounding natives, who regarded our split bamboo rods with distrust and aversion, and predicted misfortune to them should they get hold of large fish. Just as we were setting out our ardor was increased by the appearance of our English cap- tain, followed by his two Indians bear- ing three large salmon, the result of his early fishing in one pool. He showed us the fly he had used, which had a dark silver - tinseled claret body, with dark turkey wings ; and selecting those we had nearest like it, we, with our Indians, sallied forth.

It takes two Indians and one bark canoe to every fisherman. An Indian sits in each end, the fisherman in the middle; the canoe is paddled or poled to the head of a pool, where it is anch- ored by the man in the stern, he in the bow keeping it steady and straight in the stream with his paddle. As soon as possible after a fish is hooked the canoe is taken to shore; one man remains by it and the other stays by the fisherman to gaff the fish when the time comes.

Haines decided to try the Metapedia pool, and I went to the one below, where the captain had been fishing. Arrived there I found Mr. Shaw in possession, but he said the pool was large enough for both of us, and so, anchoring the canoe, I made my first cast for salmon. The split bamboo worked beautifully, and I found that my long experience with a one-handed rod in trout-fishing was of great service in assisting me to a quick knowledge in casting with both hands. After making one or two casts, Mr. Shaw, who was but a short distance from me, called out that he had a fish, and looking around I saw his rod bent half double, heard his reel whir like a mill,