Page 11 - Guiding for Salmon on the Margaree

ISSUE : Issue 26

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1980/8/1

(This would be a tough time to be a guide.) That's the reason that I quit. This Dr. Howard I was with here from Baltimore, I told him, "Dr. Howard, I'm through." I said, "There's no fish and the water con? ditions are bad." I said, "You're not mak? ing the fish and you're not making the wa- ter--I can't take this any longer"--a man paying me to take him to the river, and you couldn't show him anything but stones and suckers. And one thing I don't approve of these last number of years is having this salmon fishing open till the middle of October. The fish is not fit to eat. They should stop it the last day of September, and if I had the power, I'd stop it the middle of September. "Because after that the fish are full of spawn ana they're no good to eat. You get a fish that's in this river for one week, and you get one right out of the nets at Margaree Harbour--and you'll see the difference that's in the flavour of the two fishes. And by the middle of Octo? ber anyway, you take a female fish and you hold it by the head and see the spawn dropping out. That's a crime if there's ever one. And that's another reason I sent word to the hotels--"No," I said, "I'm. all through. What I won't eat, I won't help anybody else destroy." So little by little, I learned. I was 15 years old when I got the first salmon. And around the river here--I'm not blowing, there's no question about it • I caught one hell of a whack of salmon on this Margaree River. We Specialize in Camping Equipment and Clothing of All Kinds as well as Hardware. Plumbing and Electrical Supplies Fteuben McEvoys General Store Ltd. INGONISH BEACH Open All Year at the entrance to the beautiful Cape Breton Highlands National Park Town and Country RESTAURANT Red ond White FOOD STOKES Baddeck Port Hawkesbury Sydney River 6e Glace Bay llmwxnt Vxamgit Port Hawkesbury John Doyle, Guide. Dave Carroll, Fish? eries Officer, told us about John Doyle's last fish: "He was in the hospital very sick in Inverness. And he was going to Camp Hill Hospital the next day. He was able to be up and around a bit. And the doctor--Dr. Lawley--had become very good friends with him. So the doctor asked John if there was anything he could do for him before he went to Halifax. John said he'd like to fish the Margaree River once more. So the doctor took him down to the Forks Pool on the Margaree. And John hooked and landed a 24-pound salmon. He took it up and gave half to his wife and half to Dr. Lawley. He went back to the hospital that evening. He went to Camp Hill Hospital the next day in an ambu? lance and died in a week." Seal Island Motel &Dining; Room (Licensed) 674-2418 Located between Baddeck and Sydney 'Overlooking the Bras d'Or Lakes Our thanks to Francis Hart and Mrs. RalDh Watts of the SALMON IVIUSEUM, Northeast Mar? garee, and Kenneth MacKenzie, for older pic? tures. And to George Thomas for his photo of Pat Hannigan in his fishing gear. ZZZZZZZZIZZIZIZZZZ (11)

Cape Breton's Magazine