The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05
REsTlGOUCHE FISH STORIES.
,,pyS THE GUIDES TELL WHEN
THE SALMON WON'T BITE.
Lang last Of Archie Maedeusai That Hooked
me Beaver - Ned Prices Hungry
Trout-Other Trout THAT Made Butter
-w,se bears of tho Padtiama Jaw.

..mon. But there are times when the great
'ryar fellows sulk behind the sheltering
,ocLs at the bottom Of the swift current and
disdaln TO rise to any lure. however care
hllv chosen and cunningly cast.
Then one seeks consolation in the stories
n the guides, for il the Restigouche River
rsqion is famous for the largest and finest
salmon in the world, 30 the Restigouohe
canoemen bear an equally well-deserved
fame for the largest fish stories known to
the disciples OF Izaak Walton. For in
stance, there is Archie Macdougal's story
Of the long cast
Archie is an old-timer. one OF the most
skilful Of bowmen--and tho bowman Is
captain and master Of the canoe-and
well-versed in all the arts Of salmonry.
Mind you," says Archie, ut is not the
longest cast l ever made. I'm not saying
that at ALL Not by any means. But, con-
sidering the circumstances, I'll hold by 1t
10 beat any cast thrown out in these waters.
II was fishing with Mr.. Davies. You
mind Davies, the great tobacco man?
yale was blowing from the west and we'd
had spare luck.
Just after we'd taken long drop ana
anchored in likely pool we saw great
fellow rise upstream Of our anchor. Ii
might have been hundred and ten feet
from the bow. Now. you'll mind that a
salmon, when he rises, goes down in the
same spot and stays there.
"Mr. Davies cast for the spot, but the wind
being so heavy against him he couldn't
reach 1t. No shame to him, for he throws
a good line.
II we up anchor, Archie, says he, we
may disturb him. Do you think you could
drop fly over his nose?'
TN try it, says I. He's a thirty
pounder, sure.
MY first cast fell short. The gale
,anglel up my second attempt and Mr..
Daviei smiled That stirred me up.
shook out the line. gave myself a handful
Of slack from the reel and put all the whip
of the rod-and pretty bit of greenheArt
she was-into tho finest cast of my record.
As the fly took up the slack l knew
was over the spot and we'll beyond 1t. One
hundred and twenty feet that throw must
have measured il it went yard, and that
against as fierce a wind as you'd care to
fight.
BEYOND the spot where the salmon had
risen wan u ululo bCUOp III oohh' Az Skio
calm OF the water there the fly landed.
Then what do you think happenedf
Well, sir. didn't a beaver take It'll Right
ont from under the bank he came and
hump!-he had the hook. Then the trouble
began.
Talk about salmsnl Tho hs@ssst salmon
b ever spawned never had half the fight 10
him Of that rep-tile. Out into tho river he
went with q rush. and the old reel singing
song OF disaster and smoking like q new
pipe. with the friction.
Gut the anchor ropeP yelled to Mr..
Davies, and his knife was through 1t in a
second. Dollar and half that anchor cost
me-
Down the stream ne went. eight mile
an hour with the current, and across the
stream, ten mile an hour with tho beaver
Every half minute or 50 he'd come up out
Of the water and then his big, fiat tail would
whop the surface like revolver shot and
the water would squirt fifty feet.
After he'd turned q few dozen Of these
handsprings he set OF downstream. and
the fight was on In earnest.
If We can get to shore below him and
coax him in, says Mr.. Davies, very much
excited IN get out and gaG him.
You stay in the canoe says 1, unless
you've got leg to spare. That fsllow'd
lop it off like a twig II he caught you in the
water, Well just have to tire him out and
drown him
Well, sir, IL that beaver didn't tow US
cries-cross down the river, through rapids
and around islands, for nigh on two hours
hope may never prick another salmon.
We might have been following him yet il
we hadn't met another canoe with man in
II that had revolver.
handed the rod to Mr.. Davies, and the
beaver near hauled him out of the boat,
Tor he wasn't used TO such pulling. Finally
he coa1ed the reptile TO the surface and l.
loaded old paddletail up with lead When
We had him safe ashore Mr.. Davies turned
70 me with long sigh and says he:
Archie, salmon fishing isn't much.
Let's only fish for beaver after this
But, do you know" Archie concludes
solemnly from that day to this never
rose another beaverp"
Another New Brunswicker wise in the
ways Of salmon is Ned Price; Ned isn't
properly guide; he is one Of tho crack en-
glneers on the Intercolonial Railroad. But
when the salmon run he liz neither to bind
nor to hold; so the railroad authorities,
recognizing his worth, gave him an elias
nc vacation in the fishing season.
1t is said that one year Ned's application
lor leave was turned down, and that, two
days later,as the crack express train opened
UP sketch Of the Metapedia, a fisherman
was discovered fighting hard with a big
aimon; Thereupon Price put on the brakes,
"aPed from the cab, ran down TO the bank,
ana aided with advice and counsel until
,he big silverside was topping on the shore
AND the plaudits Of the entire roster Of
Passengers, who attended in body.
hereafter he got his vacation.
IN the winter when no salmon are to
U" mad Ned turns his attention to trout.
Restigouche trout Is the hungriest
tr'ature that nature ever made says
ne, and the hungriest time In In winter.
=, Last winter Desmond and ! went up
inc river one tolerably mild day to try
Msh'ng through the ice. We out two holes,
,he downstream one being just over little
"'dy near the bank. I'd taken along
zone flies, though Desmond gave me the
Iaugh and said that any trout knew there
"eren any flies around in winter time.
Il, some few Of EN- rose when cast into
une mole I'd cut. but they didn't seem TO
mrIke on much, so | gave II UP and spread
Ky MES out on the ice TO dry. Pretty soon
p~sm2nd, at the lower hole, calls out:
what are you doing mp there? Two
uead trout have just foated down.
They aren't mine said.
Well, here's Mother, said he No
ne only stunned. They're all three alive
"nd Hopping around
b That seemed queer and went down