324 IMPLEMENTS OF SALMON FISHING. 



of his pursuit ; and this skill, this power, like that of casting 

 the fly, or even in a greater degree than that, can be gained 

 only by dint of long practice and accurate observation. 



As I had occasion to remark, not once, but many times, in 

 my " Field Sports,^^ cceteris paribus of eye, hand, and nerves, on 

 which almost everything depends, the closest observer of nature, 

 the most diligent inquirer into the actions, the habits, the prey, 

 the haunts, the every day life of the bird or beast which he is 

 pui'suing — in other words, the best naturalist — will be the best 

 and most successful sportsman ; and so it is, and perhaps even 

 more so, in the case of the angler. And, indeed, after years 

 spent in this exciting and yet gentle pursuit, the angler will 

 ever find that he has something still to learn, that he has gained 

 something daily, if he keep his ears, his eyes, his mind open to 

 the sounds, the sights, the beautiful provisions of nature. 



In large lakes, which must be fished from boats, the vicinity 

 of the shores, the edges of shoals, and the holes in the close 

 neighbourhood of large rocks or boulders which cause eddies, 

 and above all, the entrances or outlets of streams, brooks, and 

 rivers, are the likeliest places in which to find Salmon, but not 

 reedy banks or weed beds, as is the case with the Pickerel and 

 Mascalonge ; and such spots as these deserve the utmost care and 

 attention of anglers. And now, I believe that I have said all 

 that I can say about the casting of the fly, and the places into 

 which it should be cast in order to ensure the first success, the 

 getting a rise, I mean, from this noblest of fishes. Little is done, 

 however, in getting this rise, unless we know how to strike, and 

 how to kill him when he has risen. On this head, perhaps, it 

 might be said that the art of striking a fish, or so handling the 



