SALMON FISHING WITH THE FLY. 235 



rivers, and a stranger who does not conform to their ideas in 

 this, as well as in the choice of flies, is put down as a * duffer.' 

 The first time I wetted my line in the Shannon I worked the 

 fly in my own way, hardly moving the point of the rod. The 

 man in the stern of the boat watched me for a few minutes with 

 disgust written on his face ; at last he sprang up, and before I 

 knew what he was about, snatched the rod out of my hand, 

 saying, 'This is the way we fish in the Shannon, your honour,' 

 and then began to show me the see-saw method. I was rather 

 taken aback, as I fancied I knew how to do it before the man 

 was born. However, I had my own way, had very good sport, 

 and heard no more about it from my friend in the stern of the 

 boat. 



The most deadly method of fishing is to hold the point of 

 the rod well down, letting the fly sink as deep as possible. If - 

 the fly is worked at all it should be in dead sluggish water, and 

 then only by a very slow * up-and-down ' motion of the top of 

 the rod. 



But there is no accounting for the way a salmon will some- 

 times take a fly. 



Some time ago, when fishing the Usk, a friend of mine 

 put down his rod on the bank to go and talk to his wife. The 

 fly was left in the water, and when he returned he found to his 

 surprise a fish was on, and after an exciting struggle he landed 

 him ; he had been fishing that pool for hours before this 

 happened. 



HOW TO FISH A POOL. 



The proper way to fish a pool is tc commence at the head, 

 moving down stream about one yard, or step, before each fresh 

 cast, always taking care the old cast is completed before the 

 downward step is made. This is of greater importance than 

 might perhaps appear, for if the new cast is made first and the 

 downward step taken afterwards, it will make all the difference 

 in the working of the fly. The latter will have to travel all of 



