154 MODERN SEA FISHING 



Another instance of salmon taking the fly occurs in the 

 Fleet, a piece of water between Dornoch and Goldspie, on the 

 coast of Sutherlandshire. There the fly is worked systemati- 

 cally during the first few hours of the flowing tide. 



There are a great many instances on record of salmon taking 

 baits of various kinds in salt water, and a good many rivers where 

 sport is had on the tidal pools. On the other hand, there are 

 very many places where salmon rarely rise until they have 

 reached fresh water. 



A friend of mine living in the north of Scotland once 

 caught a salmon of \\\ Ibs. in the sea on a worm. Now and 

 again salmon smolts are taken in the sea on the white flies used 

 by cuddy fishers. Most anglers are probably aware that in 

 Vancouver the salmon take both spoon bait and fly in the sea. 



That sea trout may be caught in various ways by fair angling 

 in salt water is well known to men who have visited the north 

 of Scotland and the outlying islands. A great deal of fly 

 fishing is carried on for them in the brackish water of the 

 estuaries of most rivers which they frequent. Sea trout in 

 fresh water are uncertain fish ; they will suddenly begin 

 rising with the greatest vigour, and as suddenly cease ; and 

 after they have been in the river a few days they have the 

 unhappy knack, from our point of view, of rising extremely 

 short. In tidal pools they often rise very well. 



I may refer here to a double hook which I designed 

 for some short-rising salmon and sea trout. How I came to 

 require its use is described under the heading ' Salmo Irritans ' 

 in a collection of sketches of life in the Hebrides called 

 ' Days in Thule.' Suffice it here to say that, finding many 

 fish plucked at ordinary flies and yet were not hooked, I con- 

 ceived the idea of lengthening the shank without enlarging 

 the bend ; for it has always seemed to me that after the bend 

 has been increased up to a certain size, further enlargement 



