PLAYING SALMON UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 57 



the power of the strongest parts of the rod, and 

 the more he "jiggers," or shakes himself to and 

 fro by working his head and tail this w^ay and 

 that, from side to side, in the water, the sooner will 

 his strength and courage fail him. If he remain 

 too long stationary and sulky, you must devise 

 some means to make him take another race, for 

 runnino^ with a restrainins; bit in his mouth soon 

 ends in a fatal career. Pull him up after he has 

 run a moderate course, and by this time you may, 

 without danger, wand up tightly and force him 

 within reach of gaff or landing-net. The latter 

 I prefer for grilse or small salmon. 



I have now shown how to play a fish under 

 ordinary circumstances. Under extraordinary or 

 difficult ones, there can be no fixed rule. Tact 

 and judgment must be your guides. Whenever 

 I saw danger of a fish foulins; the line, I would 

 try to make it project from the water as perpen- 

 dicularly as possible, and would give the fish no 

 more of it than I could help. This is the only way 

 to guide the fish clear of any obstructions in the 

 water — rocks, roots, and so forth. A fish hooked 

 in a pool free of obstructions, will more probably 

 at first struggle with you in it, and then finding 

 he cannot beat you in open plain, he will be off, 

 if you let him, for any aquatic fastness he may be 



