The Van Buren press., 1895-08-24
LANpLockED SALMON.
Splendid Sport to he Fonnd In Lakes and
Streams of Maine.

Splendid Sport to he Found In Lakes and
Streams of Maine.
In point of gameness, quickness IN
taking the bait or fly, and savage fight
ing when hooked, the Canadian species
has no advantage of the landlocked
salmon of Maine. The reason so many
anglers in the past have complained OF
tho lack of gamy qualities in the fish 10
that they have sought and captured
them in still water. Every frequenter
of the Roberval region knows that
onananchie taken in the quiet Lac a
Jeune or Lakes Pemoka, Plonger, or
Brochet, are as tame as any salted cod
fish when compared with the furious
fish that hide and feed in the foam-em-
broidered eddies Of the Grand Dis
charge. 4 M ri " sat
tits the living and struggling for ex-
istence in a mad swirling current that
bring out the devilish agility and pow
erful energies Of any race of fish. So,
if the Maine fishermen wish to find the
landlocked salmon in perfection, let
them seek him in no calm, stagnant
ponds or pools. One of the very best
spots to fish, if one does not mind trav-
cling rough country to reach it, is
Sebac lake, in Piscataquis county, Me.
1t is lovely sheet of water, thirteen
miles long by about four and half
wide, fed by two spring brooks, the
Wilson and the Ship pond. 1t is sur
rounded by densely wooded ridges, and
its water is as cold as ice. The old
time custom has been to fish in the
deep, quiet coves of the lake, but the
place to find fun is in the swift water
inlet. AS soon as the ice is broken and
goes out, the sport begins. and contin'
ues all through June. After that the
fish take to the pools and deep spots in
the two brooks and are sluggish and
disinclined to bite. 5
Three or four pounds is the average
weight Of these beautiful fish, though
occasional prizes tip the beam at seven
and eight. When the salmon are first
rum" i. e., come up out of the deer
places in the spring, they are an ex.
tremely dark greenish color Shortly
after their play in the rapids has be-
| gun. their sides and bellies take on a
silvery white tone, and the black shad
ings show sharply. They have then
become fighters All the winters
sloth has been shaken off, and the
landlocked salmon are ready to give
battle to all comers.
They hunt and feed on the smelts
which are very numerous and plump
and so respond better to the efforts OF
the bait caster than to those of the fly
fisherman. At the very mouths of the
brooks, however, and above, in the
basins below the high falls, the fish
run and jump for fly during this
month. The killing bait are the young
smelts, or, falling them, small sinners
of not more than three inches In
length. Use light but strong tackle
about such as you would carry fol
black bass. A light salmon, single
strand, nine-foot leader, and No.
sproat hook, without swivel or sinzer
is good rig.
Though some of the old guides al
ways hook the minnow through botf
lips, it is easily demonstrated that the
bait lives longer if only hooked
through the upper lip. The once pop
ular hooking in the back under the
dorsal fin has been entirely discarded
With your boat or canoe securely an
chored in the swiftest current, let ou;
plenty of line, say from a hundred tt
hundred and fifty feet, and let the
eddies carry the bait as they will. Dt
not, however, have too much slack, fol
when the salmon seizes the bait yol
must be able to strike. There are
many rock points from which tn,
angler can take good fish without an,
boat, but it is more difficult to bring
the fish to net it. 7ale
The fly fisherman will find the darl
Montreal and the professor the takins
feathers here for June fishing He will
find, too, that the fish in the lake pre-
fer bait, and his best sport will be hat
along the rivers The Ship Pont
stream contains some very pretty rift
and runs, and abounds in small bu
gamy fish. Both fly and bait fisher
will admit after a fair trial that this j
as game fish (taken under prope
conditions and at right season. a
they have ever hooked.
It is not so hard to reach this fine oil
lake as it was few years ago. On
can take train to Dover, and from
there take drive of six miles t
Blethen's, on Sebec lake, and then b,
steamboat up the lake. There is an
other slightly longer route by way O
Abbott Village by stage. The hote
on the lake is a small one and onl.
plain, coarse food may be had. On
dollar day is the rate charged. j
guide and boat will cost two dollar
day, and they are hard to get in tn
fishing season, for the demand far ex
ceeds the supply. If no other schem
is feasible, one can join one of the sew
eral sporting camps along the mort
shore. There is no warm weathe
ever known there, and the nights
even through July and August, are ae
tua1ly cold. One needs a warm sui
for the early morning fishing, which
the best of the day, for at sunrise an
shortly after, the biggest salmon ar
feeding.
Inexpensive Draperies.
Some beautiful inexpensive material
for draperies and hangings in countr
l L. 10 l.