I am originally from Keels, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. I have been away from there for quite a few years.
I was visiting there in the spring time, before they put restrictions on catching salmon. I was out with my dad to haul his salmon nets. This large salmon slipped out of the mesh of the salmon net. The water was very rough. My job was to pull the salmon out of the net. A large wave struck the bow of the boat. I reached for the hand gaff; the salmon slipped away before I could get the hand gaff, and it swam into the sea.
After two weeks' stay in Keels, I went back to Toronto. After two years in Toronto, I decided to visit Keels again.
It was too late in the season to catch salmon in nets. All the fishermen gave up fishing for the year, because the price had dropped. It was not worth spending time to catch salmon.
So now the caplin came around, and it was time for the fishermen to put out the cod traps, and to spend the rest of the summer catching codfish. So one afternoon, I borrowed my friend's fishing rod. I tried my luck to see if I could catch a salmon. I walked about a mile from Keels to a cove called Salmon Gulch. I cast the line for about an hour, catching only mackerel, so I decided to go back to the village, and come back another time, for I was determined to catch a salmon. But I had no more luck, except this time I caught four codfish, and headed back to the village again, and thought I could come back the next day, as I was determined to catch a salmon.
Some thoughts came in my mind; one was how my dad would go out fishing in the early morning. So the next day, I left just after daybreak, and headed out once more, with pole in hand and two herring wrapped in one of my knapsacks. I baited my hook once more, and tried for another hour, and only caught one small codfish.
I returned to the village once more, because I had to pack my clothes, as I was leaving for Toronto, as my holidays were over for another year.
The next year in the springtime, I think it was in May, I thought that it would be a better time to catch a salmon, because that's when they are plentiful. After staying in Keels for two days, I took off with pole in one hand and two knapsacks, one for lunch and one for my bait. I headed back to Salmon Gulch once more; by then the fishermen had their salmon nets set out. The nets were tied to the cliff by a chain hanging over the cliff, and a rope leading from the net to the chain to hold it firm. I had to give lots of space between where I cast my line and the net to make sure my hook would not get caught in the net.
Once again, I tried for one hour with no luck, but I saw a few salmon jump up and down in the water. I returned to Keels once more. The next morning, I headed out once more; this time, I took a fly hook with me, because the waters were calm. I put the fly hook on my line, cast it in and pulled it along the top of the water. Lo and behold - this large salmon grabbed it. It took a long time to bring it in, and I do believe it was the same salmon that slipped away from me from the salmon net a few years before, because you could see the mesh from the net; if you looked closely, you could see the mark on its body.
This is the picture my friend took. He held the camera too high, and you cannot see its tail, but it was there.   Submitted By: NULL