224 SALMON FISHING. 



killed one exceeding twenty-five pounds, but I have hooked 

 much heavier fish. 



But salmon fishing at Trollhattan, even when the season 

 is at its height, is very poor. One is just as likely, indeed, 

 to return home empty-handed, as to kill even a single fish. 

 This is attributable to the paucity of their numbers, the great 

 depth of their runs, and the almost impossibility of obtaining 

 access to the best casts. And even should one succeed in 

 getting hold of a heavy fish, the nature of the water and the 

 banks of the river are such, that the chances are about equal 

 as to his capture or escape. 



One autumnal evening, for instance, I hooked a salmon 

 near to the fishery, in the lowermost pool on the eastern side 

 of the river. As long as he remained in comparatively 

 smooth water, I did pretty much what I pleased with him ; 

 but at length, either his own will, or the current, carried him 

 into the roaring torrent below the cataract itself, down which 

 he was hurried at a racing pace. Presently, however, the 

 eddy swept him back into the pool, of which he made nearly 

 the circuit. By this time he had carried off very consider- 

 ably more than one hundred yards of line; and as the stream 

 now brought him towards me, I Was obliged to take the line in 

 by hand, instead of reeling it as usual, that I might retain proper 

 command over him. As the fish, on this his return voyage, 

 swept past the rock, my attendant, who was on the watch 

 with a very long gaff, not only adroitly succeeded in plunging 

 the weapon into his body, but threw him high and dry upon 

 the rocks. Unfortunately, however, these were steep as well 

 as slippery, and before the man could possibly secure the fish 

 apparently a twenty-pounder he floundered back into his 

 native element. 



