58 HOW TO ARREST SALMON IN THEIR FLIGHT. 



acquainted with. I am for stopping him in his 

 retreat to such vantage ground, by butting him 

 nervously — trying the very ultimate powers of 

 my tackle. It is far better to lose the fish than 

 it, and you may lose both, if he succeed in getting 

 amongst large stones, rocks, or into some corner 

 where neither gaff nor landing-net can reach him, 

 and where, if he sulks, you will find much difficulty 

 in so humouring him as to induce him to move 

 into fair ground again. A fish rushing for dan- 

 gerous quarters is, I think, more easily prevented 

 from doing so by butting him with the rod pro- 

 jecting sideways, than by holding it back over the 

 shoulder. I would hold it back almost horizontally 

 over the upper-arm of the hand that grasps the 

 rod above the winch, and that hand should firmly 

 clench the butt as far up it as is conveniently 

 possible. When a rod is so held, I think there is 

 more power in it than when it is held over the 

 shoulder, and that it is more easily manipulated 

 and managed, eased or put to the strain with 

 greater tact, because one can, not only feel, but 

 see, the amount of pressure upon it. 



Strict attention to what I am about to write 

 should be paid. I have generally, indeed, almost 

 invariably, found, that a fish firmly hooked, de- 

 scends instanter towards the bottom, and fights 



