MARY PICKFORD SPECKLED TROUT TROPHY
THE 1936 WINNER’S STORY By Edwin Mills
The fish was taken during the course of a canoe trip down
the Nipigon. My guide was the well-
known Johnny Abisikung of Orient Bay and
who has guided the winners of the C.N. R. Trophy at Orient Bay twice in the past
four years. His splendid river ability
coupled with an almost uncanny “fish sense” marks him a most prominent and
sought after guide on the Nipigon.
We camped at Virgin Falls the night of July the 7th
last and I had taken one nice fish of about four pounds on a “cockatouche
fly” at that spot.
The following day we went down river and, after a short
pilgrimage in the form of an hour’s trial at Rabbit or Macdonald’s Rapids where Dr. Cook of Fort
William took his world’s record fontinalis
in 1915, we proceeded down river and
prepared to run Miner’s Rapids.
Just before we reached that spot I mentioned to Johnny that
in the course of reading an article by Ozark Ripley which had been given me
before leaving home by Bill Griner of Hamilton,
Ripley made the statement that whenever possible he cast from the canoe
whilst shooting the rapids thereby touching spots he would be unable to reach
from shore. I told Johnny I would like
to try it and settled myself in the bottom of the canoe, rod in hand and
prepared to let him take her through.
The water was high and about half way down I made a short
cast over a likely spot, using a red Daredevil,
and let the line and lure run along parallel to us for a bit and slowly
reeled in.
I had a nice strike, hard to know its weight due to the
tossing of the canoe and so I let it run out whilst Johnny took me on down and
into a back-water to play the fish.
Previously we had been making little bets between ourselves
as to whether the strikes were pike or trout by watching the action of the rod
tip and Johnny called this one a pike.
There was a lot of line out and we had not seen the fish but
in the back-water it felt heavy so I played it carefully not wishing to lose it
as I had often done before in roughing a good fish too hard.
Suddenly Johnny got a glimpse of the tawny belly and warned me that it was a
big trout. Then the safest thing seemed to be to get ashore and play it from
there in case we had to beach it.
I always feel the single hook is much safer than a gang of
three and this fish felt secure but nevertheless it was nearly twenty minutes
from the time he struck before I was able to gently ease him into the net,
Johnny in the meantime taking some
pictures which have turned out excellently.
The beautiful male fish was in perfect shape and magnificent colouring and had none
of the heavy misshaped belly which
spoils the lines of many large fish. We
snapped him from all angles and then
Johnny volunteered to take him back to Virgin Falls after we weighed him and
found a record fish for that time of year on the Nipigon.
 |
| Mary Pickford Speckled Trout Trophy |
 |
| 25 inches 6 pounds 11 ounces |
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