132 LETTERS TO YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



VII. 

 CASTING FOR SALMON. 



THE great problem of salmon-fishing, in my humble opinion, 

 is not so much how, as where, to throw your fly. The manner 

 of the throw was all important in the trout-fishing business 

 and the " where " was commonly determined for you by 

 the pleasant sight of the rising fish. For the salmon you will 

 fish more by faith and less by sight, seldom seeing him or 

 knowing, for any surety, that he is there until he seizes 

 your fly. Moreover, that trout fly casting was, for the 

 most part, an up-stream business ; to the salmon you will 

 practically always be casting down-stream. 



This salmon fly throwing, then, is very like the down- 

 stream throwing for trout, except that it is a two-handed 

 instead of a single-handed job. I am sure that it is the 

 tendency of most salmon-fishers to overburden themselves 

 by the length of their rods. I must admit, however, that one 

 of my own old and best loves was a large i8ft. greenheart 

 Hardy rod of no mean weight. It would take out the line 

 and a long line, too with glorious ease, and you felt yourself 

 to have a power over the fish, when you had him hooked, 

 such as I have never known with a slighter weapon. Still, 

 a i6ft. split cane and for salmon I like a steel centre, though, 

 for lightness' sake, I would rather be without it in a trout 

 rod will surely do all that you will often find that you need 

 to do on most of our British rivers ; and it is a lighter thing 

 to wield. On most small rivers it is, indeed, a grievous error 

 to use a big rod. Not only does it fatigue you unnecessarily, 

 but in the small rivers the fish are generally small, and you 

 lose almost all the sport which the play of, say, a gib. salmon 

 ought to give you if you have him at the end of an i8ft. rod 



