A steamboat ascends the Saguenay twice a week, and he can either take it at Quebec or join it at Rivière du Loup, and by this means enjoy a trip through the bold scenery of that celebrated river, and can either return to Rivière du Loup, or take a pilot boat at L’Anse à l’Eau. There is a generous-hearted Englishman living at L’Anse à l’Eau, but he has been compelled to refuse admission to all strangers, as any infraction of that rule would have led to his being overrun.
Many of the streams of Lower Canada are leased to private individuals, and there are few good accessible salmon streams open to the public, but the sea trout fishing along the St. Lawrence and at the mouths of most of the streams is free to all. In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and at Prince Edward’s Island, there is as yet no restriction, and both salmon and trout are the property of him who can catch them.[7] Nowhere, however, can any salmon fishing or good trout fishing be had except by camping out. Canadian canoemen can be obtained, if not required to furnish canoes, for sixty cents a day, although the Indians, who are far superior, command over a dollar, and where the angler is unacquainted with the water he is to fish, he had better take the latter. They are, however, willful and exacting, and sometimes stubborn and troublesome, while the former are the best-natured fellows in the world, full of fun, song and frolic, but often too fond of the liquor case.
The best river of Lower Canada is the Mingan, but if it is not already leased it soon will be. It can be reached by steamer that leaves Quebec semi-weekly, stopping at Gaspi, at Bathurst on the Bay de Chaleurs, which is near Nipisiquit, the best river of New Brunswick, at several places along the route, and finally at Shediac, whence there is a communication with St. John or Halifax. The steamer running at the time this is written is the Arabian, and leaves Quebec every alternate Monday. The Nipisiquit is within a few miles of Bathurst, where there is good accommodation, and boatmen can be obtained without difficulty, or the fisherman may continue his travels to Dalhousie, at the mouth of the Restigouche, and try either that or the Matapediac. Another mode of reaching the fishing grounds, is to go to St. John, and thence by steamboat to Fredericton, and cross over by land to the Miramichi, at Boiestown, where there is excellent trout and fair salmon fishing. A list of the distances from Quebec, together with further instructions, is given under the head of salmon fishing, as the rivers we have mentioned are properly salmon rivers.
The sea trout fishing is so fine, that many persons prefer it to taking the larger salmon, and can be indulged in almost anywhere along the shores of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward’s Island, Newfoundland and Lower Canada; and were it not for the heavy fogs, the Bay of St. Lawrence would be a favorite resort of our adventurous yachtsmen. The Galway line of ocean steamers now touches at Newfoundland, whose waters abound with the finest fish.
The sea trout ascend to the head-waters of the Miramichi quite early, so that there are none of large size to be caught in the lower section by the middle of July. In that river they average from two to five pounds’ weight. But the Tabasintac, a stream half-way between Chatham and Bathurst, is the most famous sea trout river of New Brunswick. I do not know of any sea trout along the southern shore of New Brunswick.
The scientific designation of this fish is not yet settled, although the United States Fish Commission have given it their attention, and it is to be dreaded that, numerous as he still is, the sea-trout will have disappeared before we know what to call him.
Canada and the Provinces have been immensely developed since much of the above was written; travel is easier, pleasanter, quicker, and accommodations better. But with this improvement have come fishing restrictions, license fees, and government interference, which more than counterbalance the advantages.
LAKE TROUT—SALMON TROUT—TOGUE. (Salmo confinis)
LAKE TROUT—SALMON TROUT—TOGUE. (Salmo confinis)