The Game Fish, of the Northern States and British Provinces / With an account of the salmon and sea-trout fishing of Canada and New Brunswick, together with simple directions for tying artificial flies, etc., etc.

by Robert Barnwell Roosevelt

Salmon will sulk, remaining motionless at the bottom for a long time after they are wearied with an unsuccessful struggle, and must be aroused with pebbles, bearing on the line, or in some other way. Many of the pools in the Canadian waters have been worn out of clay banks, and their sides under water are often perpendicular or overhanging. When the fish sulks in one of these, the line cuts into the edge of this bank, and is of course broken to pieces by the first rush.

Gentleness will do much with fish, as with other reasonable beings, and a friend of mine saved a number in a pool above an impassable rapid, where other anglers had pronounced fishing impracticable, by striking and handling the fish with extreme delicacy till they were led to the head of the pool away from the dangerous neighborhood.

There is no superlative salmon line made; the best, probably, plaited silk, tapered and covered with a preparation to exclude the water; but that in general use is of hair and silk plaited or twisted—a combination that, as we elsewhere remark, is by no means advantageous; a plain hair line is preferred by careful anglers, and simple silk will answer. The leader should be of single gut, if round and strong, and may be colored in tea. Double gut will break the rod but not save the fish. The flies, contrary to the received opinion in Europe, should be dark, especially clarets and browns, above all the impalpable “fiery brown,” and of rather a small size, with a few larger for rough water. The reel should be large enough to carry two hundred yards of line, although with activity and a hundred an angler may make out.

As for the number of fish, even in the best streams, those who read Lanmann must receive his statements with, to use a moderate term, some allowance. Ten or twelve fish in the course of a day is excellent luck, and will keep the angler sufficiently occupied and excited, but the average good fishing through the season is not half that number, and there are many blank days. The upper shore of the St. Lawrence furnishes the largest fish, but New Brunswick the most abundant. The rivers in the former are mostly leased to individuals by the government, and of course closed to the public except by the consent of the lessees. That famous association called the Hudson’s Bay Company, a kingdom within a kingdom, until a few years ago, were sole proprietors of fishing rights, but having taken pains worthy of our emulation to destroy the fish, the government curtailed their privileges, and passed stringent laws and regulations, which are set out in the appendix, for the preservation of the fish.

The rivers of New Brunswick are still free.[9] The fly-fishing in Canada lasts till the first day of September, and in New Brunswick till the fifteenth; but the net fishing terminates earlier, and in Canada all spearing or fishing by torchlight is stringently forbidden. These laws are, strange as it may seem to us, enforced with commendable energy in Canada, though in New Brunswick our mode of letting the people override the laws prevails.

The best river in New Brunswick beyond all comparison, is the Nipisiquit, emptying in the Bay of Chaleurs, and near it are several almost as prolific.[10] In Lower Canada the Mingan, the Moisie, the Busamite stand preëminent, but have many rivals. Directions for reaching them have been given under the head of sea trout fishing, but instead of taking a sail-boat, as there suggested, from any port on the river St. Lawrence, the same might be done either from Bathurst or Prince Edward’s Island, both of which are nearer the lower streams.

There are many excellent rivers on the coast of Labrador as far as the Straits of Belle Isle, or even farther, and they would be well worth a visit, either in one of our clipper yachts or in a fast schooner. Many are entirely beyond the realms of civilization, and a pleasant party might have a glorious time and abundant sport.

It would be necessary to take canoemen and canoes, or what is strongly recommended, small, light flat-boats that can be rowed or poled by one man, and which can be purchased for five dollars apiece at most of the gulf seaports.

Arm yourself, then, with two good salmon rods; they may be so made us to constitute a trout rod as well, not by any means one of those detestable nondescripts called a general rod, but two rods distinct with joints fitting to each other. Take with you two good lines, plenty of flies, extra gut and hooks, leaders and feathers, and a strong hook gaff, but not that dangerous, unwieldy instrument called a spring gaff. Thus equipped, go forth conquering and to conquer, and may good luck attend you. Seek any of the rivers we shall name, ascend them in your fragile canoe, station yourself early in the morning or at the approach of evening, choose your best fly, keep well out of view, cast far and light, and may you many and many a time be rewarded with the fierce rush of the mighty salmon, his struggle and final conquest, and may your sleep be sound and your heart at rest amid nature’s primeval hills. May the black flies and mosquitoes spare you, may the sand-fly not find you out, may the heat be tempered to you by day and the cold by night, may you not lose your footing too often, nor fall too hard, and may your fish be the largest, strongest and bravest that ever were taken. May you receive that mercy which you show, never drawing one drop of useless blood, nor causing one unnecessary pang.

The aid of all good men and true is needed both by precept and example, to save the tenants of the water from final extermination. By putting restraint upon ourselves, never being guilty of wanton slaughter, by steadily urging measures for the preservation of the game, and by invariably obeying and compelling others to obey such laws as should be passed, we may be able to leave to our children a heritage of pleasure that bountiful nature has abundantly provided for ourselves. No fish are more defenceless and more readily destroyed than trout and salmon; there are certain prerequisites to the continuance of the species that must be complied with. The fish must ascend to the fresh water to spawn, and if prevented by an improperly constructed dam, will quit the locality never to return.