134 The Atlantic Salmon 



times to fish. Salmon will frequently refuse to 

 rise or suddenly cease rising when " all in nature 

 pleases," or reverse the processes at times when 

 man is not " vile " and the conditions are appar- 

 ently most unfavorable. Therefore the angler 

 who, undiscouraged, hopeful and careful, has his 

 fly the most hours on the water, is sure to rise 

 the most fish. 



For years I credited the current belief where 

 I fished that salmon w^ould not rise when it thun- 

 dered. One day I was caught in a sudden 

 shower and thoroughly drenched, but, having 

 seen two fish jump below me, I decided to give 

 them a trial, the result being that notwithstand- 

 ing the storm continued in a most violent fash- 

 ion, with heavy thunder at short intervals, for two 

 hours, I hooked five fish, of which I landed three. 



Another archaic belief which has been greatly 

 weakened is that salmon will never take when 

 there is mist on the water. Two years since 

 a friend of mine came down the river from 

 where he had some water fifteen miles above, 

 and said that he had killed five fish the preced- 

 ing afternoon in a heavy mist so thick he could 

 not see his fly ten yards from the canoe. We 

 had the same mist where I was fishing, and when 



