The Republican journal., 1885-05-07
Trouting with "Chedonguee."

| No sooner was our tent pitched, our fire we'll
going, than swathy little habitant .trolled In
upon US. He had some English, we some
French; so our intercourse was fairly free.
Most cheering were the accounts he gave of the
abundance and size of the trout in the waters
ahead of us. A days polling, he said, would
bring US into all the fishing we could ask. But
on our flies he looked with deep di,dan. Moth
ing but ''chedonguee," he assured US, would
take the larger fish. Chedonguee We were
puzzled. "Lcetle feesh," he answered to our
look Of perplexity, and he indicated length of
an inch and a half on bis black forefnger. Con-
tident in the efficacy of our flies, yet even will
ing to learn some new point in the craft, we
begged the Frenchman to show us a ''chedon-
guee." He obligingly seized tin-kettle and
dinner-fork, and led US down to the riverside
where the water was shallow and STILL the bot
tom thickly strewn with large stones. His right
hand armed with the menacing dinner-fork, be
warily turned over several stones, peering be-
meath them eagerly as he did so. AT length he
made lightning thrust with the fork and
brought up, tranrfiXed upon its prongs, a tiny,
graNsh fish with large head This was ache
uonguee." Our habitant knew no other name
| for 1t. but declared his faith that it was the
young of the cusk. One chedonguee would
make three bats, he said, and such bats as the
biggest trout in the river would gladly fight for,
when they were turning contemptuou. tail to
every other form of temptation. We tried to
spear ''chedonguee," and were quite success
full in turning over the stones. We discovered
several of the little fish, moreover, but, after
each assault with the fork, it turned ont that
the "chedonguee" wasn't there. He ALWAYS
seemed to 60 away just In the height of the ex-
cltement. However, the Frenchman speared
US two or three, and the result of our expert
ment. with "chedonguee'' bait shall be told in
a later paragraph.
1t was here, too, that we got our first real
fishing. On either side of our island was a
strong, white rapid, roaring over the pale peb-
bles, and drowning the murmur Of the bee. in
our wild garden. At the foot of the island the
tails OF these rapids united in a deep and wide
green basin, which seemed literally swarming
with trout. We caught vague glimpses of
magnificent fellows, one above the other. gid
ing laziiy about in the dim haf-shade which
was cast by the whirling foam-bes on the sur
face. The pool was Overlooking with soft
green light put on a small red hackle for a
leader, and an orange-boded monstrosity with
partrldge-Wlngs, of my own manufacture, for
drop. This fly had hardly touched the sur
face Of the pool when 1t was taken. and |
struck far-sized trout which was soon reeled
In. My very next cast raised large fish,
which L rather clumsily missed, and in an
instant a smaller fish had taken the same fly,
the homemade monstrosity. l dispensed with
the hackle then. and put on another brown
and yellow. These proved to b. the killing
coors that afternoon. Nought else between
our covers rivalled them, save one dark Grim
son and tinsel gand which Stranion brought to
view. This fly was not allowed moments
rest. Ii was always being snapped at by the
smaller fly, or engaged in the seduction and
ruin of an eligible fish. What fishing that was
for an hour or so. We spoEe not word. but
our reels We're scarce moment mute. Our
one regret was that the biggest fish, of whom
we noticed several in the poll would give no
Those
were half and three-quarter pounders-very
nice fish. But we greatly desired manike,
what we couldn't get. AT last ". B. struck
fine fish which gave him lots Of play 1t leap
ed three times, and we watched the contest
breathiessly. 1t was not one of the biggest,
but we that it would go well over the
pound. When the battle was well-nigh DONE
and the vanqu,hed trout was Yielding to the
inevitable. The empty drop as it skinned the
surface, was seized by nimple fish and the
captive reused to new effort. There was
brlet but exciting conflict of cross-pur-
poses and then the double prize was brought
to land. The bigger fish went pound and
hat,-ail out. Just at this iuncture stran-
Ion shouted "Chedonguee!" He removed hi,
drop, and changed his leader for fly with
its wings chewed off. This hook he baited
with the third of a " chedonguee," cast it
into the centre Of the pool, and we all wait
ed the results. We waited not long. The
bait was seized before it got below the surface,
and the trout, medium one, was rceled in
quickly. But evidently other eyes had marked
that bait, and the magic word ''che donguce,"
had gone abroad through the pool. A great fi-h,
the sight of which thrilled US to the finger-tips,
rose languidly to the surface, looked about him.
and sank back into he green obscurity. When
again the chedonguee fell on the pool no small
fry ventured near it. Unmole-ted it sank
for breathless half-mnute, aud we watched
1t flicker and wrlthe in toe shifting refracinn<
Then. very deliberately, the great trout sailed
d MI IAli
ately turned him back to his seclu.ion. But a
tiny move of Stranion's wrist said. NO" and
and the astonished monster darted to the sur
face. Instead of eaping, however. he seemed
suddenly ashamed of himself for having been
startled into taking the matter seriously He
beook himself to the bottom. with air Of
contemptuOus Indifference well calculated to
inspire the smaller fish with wondering ad
mlralon, and set himself to sever the gut by
rubbing his nose among the stones. But sharp
pull on the line wrought Transformation in
his attitude. He shot again and again into
the air. endeavOring to throw himself on the
line, and finally hissed off down stream In
Whirwnd of wrath the taut line cutting the
water like a knife-edge, and the reel fairly
shricking. Stranion's weIl-proven green-h.art
bent nearly double as he gave the fish the full
butt; and, seeing his line vanish so magicaiiy
he made a dash for the main shore, that he
might be able. if necessary, to follow the
fish down stream. But he found the channel
wast-deep, and the current swept him from
his feet. Just at this instant the fish stopped
10 collect himself, and, finding the pressure
relaxed, made back for the pool. By this time
Stranon had gained land, and was reeng in
the slack with all haste. Checking the trout
gently again, there was another wild rush
down stream. but 1t was less violent this time.
So it went on for ten minutes, during which
time our own rods were forgotten, and W. b.
had arrived with the net to Stranion's aid. The
tired fish was coaXed in close to shore. the net
w ips atpI
when be reused himself to final dash for
liberty. the meshes closed about him, and it
was over. a tap on the neck from the butt of
Stranon's knife, and he lay motionless on the
grass, all silver and saffron and vermiilion,-a
four-pounder we unanimously estimated; aud
in this case the compliant scales declared them
selves of one mind with us. G. q. D. Roberts,
in Outing for April.