The Republican journal., 1896-06-04
Trout and Fresh-water Salmon.

Hamilton River, and from the waters of
its Ashuanipi branch in the interior of
Labrador, came the skin of a fish that
unfolds novel and interesting story to
anglers and ichthyologists alike. In it's
adipose fin the fish whose skin this was
wore the badge of royalty amongst fishes
the evidence of kinship to the kingly
family of the salmon. In its shapely
beauty, and brilliancy of coloring, from
the deep blush green of its back, through
the various shades of its silvery sides, to
the pure white Of its under surface, and
in the number and disposition of it's fin
rays, it scarcely differed from grilse of
equal size. But it's habitat was above
cataract having sheer fall of 800 feet, so
that this fish could not possibly have been
a salmon from the sea. The large num-
Der and the distinctness of the XXX marks
upon its sides, the large size of the eye
and of the dark spots upon the gill-covers,
and the strength and thickness of that
portion of the body adjoining the caudal
Tin, all stamp it a ouananiche, or fresh
water salmon of anadromous habits.
Prior to the discovery of this fish in sew
eral OF the large streams Of the extreme
northern and eastern river basins of Lab
rador, by Mr.. A. P. Low, of the Geologi-
cal Survey Of Canada, who brought this
skin back with him to civilization upon
his return from his overland trip of 1S94-5
to Ungava Bay, the ouananiche was pop
ularly supposed to be peculiar to Lake st.
john and Its tributary waters. Now it's
Canadian environment is known to in
cludc the whole Labrador peninsula, ex-
| cepting perhaps that part of it's westerly
slope drained into Hudson Bay; and the
| angler who would find it, and fight it
under the varying conditions in which it
may be found, must traverse a vast region
of mountain and lake and forest and
stream as practically unknown as the in
terror OF Africa, save to the Montagnais
and Nascapee Indians, whose hunting
ground it is.
The earliest spring fishing for ouana-
niche is to be had in Lake ST. John. The
railway ride of 100 miles thther from the
city of Quebec carries the tourist through
one of the most fascinating regions of
Northern sport, and across the entire belt
of the Laurentian Mountains which thou
sands of years before Noah's ark ground
ed upon the summit of Mount Ararat or
the fiat had gone forth which first shed
| created light upon world of chaos, lifted
aloft their hoary heads, white with the
SHOWS of thousand years. Most Of the
stoppages made along the greater part of
this railway line are mainly for the ac-
commodation Of fishermen belonging to
the different clubs OF spOrtsmen. whose
club-houses are sometimes the railway
stations, and the headquarters of private
preserves, of 200 to 400 square miles each
IN extent. Ouananiche have been planted
III some of these preserved waters. and
brook trout abound everywhere. Mar
vellous stories are told Of the monster
tontjHaliS that inhabit the deep cold wa
ters of the lakes and streams of the Tr-
ton, the Like Edward the Nomantum,
the MetabetchOuan, and the I5atiScan sys-
TENS. Five and six pound specimens are
not rare in either of these, and occasional
ly eight-pounders are taken The bril-
iancy of their coloring has drawn from
Kit Clarke the declaration that ''God
never made a more beautiful object"
An English magazine writer has said of
the same fish, ''Neyer have we seen such
gorgeous and brilliant coloring in any
tinny creature, except perhaps in some Of
the quaint tropical varieties from the
Caribbean Sea, which are shown to the
In gameness this beautiful trout is ex-
celled in its Canadian home by the GUIANA
niche alone From its lair beneath some
hly-pad or under the shadow Of an over
hanging tree or rock, often within the
margin of heavy rapids, where tie Goods
clap their hands in frolicsome glee, the
leopard Of the brook has had his atten- |
ton directed by some peculiar motion of
a somewhat remarkable fly at or near the
surface of the water. At the moment the
insect makes dart, as if to escape alike
from his observation and his reach, it is
seized by him with d rush which in We
locity excels the motion of the cast as it
is about to be withdrawn from the wa
ter Ii essential to success, this mad dash
is not infreQuently terminated by leap
into mid-air and on to the apparently
vanishing hook. He is a valiant foe. a
stand-up fighter, as it were, who takes no
surface lure by stealth, not even from
below, but filings himself boldly into the
contest, generally exposes himself to full
view quite early in the fight, and never
yields an inch of ground, or water, or line,
until compelled by sheer exhaustion, nor
is finally conquered until he has employ
ed the thousand and one devices of his
plucky persistence, bold, brave battling.
and finny tinesse. Even when apparently
quite exhausted, and drawn INTERESTINGLY
on his side upon the top of the water to
the very margin of the angler canoe, the
sight of the landing net inspires him with
new life, and he must needs be deft and
experienced guide who is not often over
matched in the wild dash for life and
liberty Of large trout's final struggle at
the apparition of the net. This is the
fontinalis of cold Northern waters, as |
know him and esteem him, and as thou
sands of Canadian and American anglers
know and esteem him too
Many a time these trout are taken in
this Lake st. John country two or three
at a cast. l have known of two being
taken at time where only one was hook
ed. 1t was in the middle of September,
and | had struck what subsequently prov
ed to be very handsome female fish, in
condition the very pink of perfection. AS
my rod was light, less than five ounces in
weight, and the fish both heavy and
strong, | had rather thoroughly exhaust
ed my trout before attempting to bring it
to net. To provide against the success of
possible final plunge, l had gradually
conducted my quarry into a narrow open
ing running some distance between two
low lodges of rock, upon one of which