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There are some anglers who affect to despise aiitTimii 

 salmon fishing, but I am not of those, because a fresh-run 

 fi^li — clean from the sea — is by no means to be despised, 

 even in the month of October. There is, of course, a very 

 wide distinction to be drawn between a "potted" fish, that 

 has been in a pool of the river many weeks, and there grown 

 as red as a copper kettle, and a salmon that has remained 

 in salt water until the autumn floods induced him to run 

 up the river. I grant you that even these bright fish fight 

 more heavily, and that they lack some of the fire and fury 

 of the spring runners ; but I am not disposed to admit that 

 these late runners are unworthy of our steel. On the con- 

 trary, any experienced anglers will be able to recall many 

 magnificent fights they have had with late fish. Go spring- 

 fishing for salmon, by all means, if you can get it, but 

 should the fish be kept back in the sea, as they have been 

 in many places this season, there are compensations to be 

 found amongst the autumn runners. But I have wandered 

 somewhat wide of my text, which was the glorious un- 

 certainty of salmon-fishing. Returning to this branch of 

 our subject, let me say in conclusion that the man who rents 

 a length of river for the catching of the king of fishes, needs 

 the purse of a Rothschild, the contented spirit of a Dio- 

 genes, and the irrepressible cheerfulness of a Mark Tapley. 



