SALMON FISHING.

To those interested in fishing, who are tired of the Adirondacks, New Hampshire, and Maine, I would say a few words, merely as a suggestion, about salmon fishing in the small rivers emptying into the Saguenay.

Leaving the bright-roofed city of Quebec, the steamboat takes us down the St. Lawrence to Tadousac, one of the oldest French settlements in Canada. Here we transfer our provisions and rods to the smaller boat which plies between the mouth of the Saguenay and Ha-Ha Bay, - a charming trip, by the way, - passing Cape Eternity and overhanging Trinity opposite. All the way up the river we see at frequent intervals the mouths of tributaries. These small rivers are leased by the government for from five to twenty years to private parties for fishing purposes. At one of the larger of these openings our boat stops, and we find our guides or canoemen ready to take us ashore. The mouth of the river is perhaps a hundred feet wide, and the shallow water shows us a shingle bottom. On the bank a small French Canadian settlement manages to support itself and a few ponies. Little carts are the common vehicles for these rough roads, although we sometimes meet the luxurious bumping-board to remind us of New England. The natives seem to rank among the lowest types of humanity, their chief object in living being the eating of pork or fat of any kind, the drinking of vile whiskey, and the smoking of worse tobacco. One accomplishment they have, however, - a wonderful skill in poling. One man stands in the bow, and one in the stern, and with marvelous dexterity they push their crank barks up a very rapid current, and on their return let it slowly glide down stream, avoiding the rocks. Our course now is up the stream, we on the bank, and the guides in the canoes with the baggage. At times, however, the advance along the bank is impracticable, and then we take to the canoes; and our advice to the uninitiated is to sit down in the bottom, as single skulls are not the only kind of boats that upset easily. In the river, too, we encounter waterfalls, shoots, and beaver-dams. At some places the stream narrows, and the trees interlace their branches over our heads. On each side of the valley rise hills fifteen to sixteen hundred feet high. Day dawns at about three in July, and it is not dark until nine, the nights being frequently illuminated by brilliant auroras. The salmon come back up the river about the 1st of July, and after struggling up the rapids, congregate in the "pools" to rest for a fresh start. These pools come at intervals of from five to eight miles in the river, and are, of course, the best places for fishing. One can hire the use of a pool from the proprietor for a week or two, and some of the best cost as much as fifty dollars.

Now we have come to the scene of our sport. The lines and hooks must be small, but of the very best quality. The salmon, a most active fish, as soon as it is caught by the hook, endeavors; naturally, in every way to get loose, jumping far out of the water, darting one way and another, and finally swimming off sometimes a mile, while we have to follow all the way, running over slippery bowlders, and at times up to the waist in water, always ready to give out or take in line, uncertain whether there is ten pound or fifty on the end of the line, until at last the fish is exhausted. The air is so bracing, though, that one can easily endure the fatigue. In this way we pass up the river, following the fish, Who go up to spawn, and return with them as they go down the stream. Never go fishing alone in this country; it is an art in itself, and one needs a teacher at first. Many of the gentlemen who boast of the salmon they have taken in a season have allowed their guides to do most of the real angling.

One needs for his first season a guide for each member of his party; then, as to provisions, there must be coffee, crackers, condensed milk, potatoes, rice, canned meats and vegetables, - in fact, whatever you want that is portable and will keep. The rod should be fifteen to nineteen feet long, split bamboo in three joints being rather the best, although the Irish poles of two joints are good. Tents, too, have to be taken, and tent-life is well enough as a novelty, although the experienced angler prefers the huts of the natives, when there are any. The line, about a hundred yards long, should be of strong silk, the Irish lines the best. Flour I forgot, - the natives knead it, dig a hole in the ground, put it in, and then cover it with hot coals; when the black crust is scraped off, you will find some light and very palatable bread. For the first season, of course, the expenses are large in proportion to the number of fish caught, and for a single summer this plan cannot be recommended, except as an experience for one who can afford to pay. The first season is necessarily an initiation and in succeeding years the sport increases, while experience enables one to dispense with some of the guides, and to reduce all the expenses.

Large trout, weighing from nine to eleven pounds, can be caught in these streams at the rate of a barrel a day almost; in fact, they are considered a nuisance, as they disturb the salmon fishing. The salmon themselves vary from nine to fifty pounds, the average being about fourteen pounds. The woods in this region are singularly destitute of game; but reindeer and bears are sometimes seen. One great discomfort are the flies, which one can only escape by anointing the face and wearing gloves; although some keep them off by smoking all day. Salmon fishing is to a certain degree deteriorating on account of the advance of saw-mills and civilization; but there is still plenty of sport left for those who will go far enough north.

I must repeat that this sport is expensive at any rate, and especially so for the first season, but it is invigorating and full of excitement, and has something wild and unique about it that recommends it to the sportsman.