246 SALMON AND TROUT. 



if the latter is of a nervous temperament he will probably make 

 a bungle of the business, and the fish will reap the benefit. It 

 may be taken for granted that the gaffer is as keen and as 

 anxious as the angler to see the fish on the bank, and does his 

 best to secure him for his own reputation's sake. Should 

 he miss a chance and the fish get away, it is doubtless very 

 annoying, but it is one of the disappointments the salmon 

 fisher will have to put up with. 



There are few men who can gaff a fish as it should be done. 

 It requires great nerve and a great deal of practice. The Nor- 

 wegians are the best gaffers I ever came across, with the ex- 

 ception of the Shannon men, whose dexterity is wonderful. 

 To gaff a fish in de^> rapid water is a more difficult thing than 

 it appears to be, yet the Shannon men never miss a chance ; 

 they use a gaff made of well-seasoned hazel wood, that will 

 give and take with the struggles of the fish, which run to an im- 

 mense size. A stiff handle to a gaff would be liable to break 

 when gaffing one of these monsters in a rapid stream, besides 

 being most unwieldy. An inexperienced gaffer will generally gaff a 

 fish anywhere he can put his gaff in, but an experienced man will 

 bide his time and gaff the fish somewhere below the back fin, 

 which will balance him as nearly as possible, and prevent his flesh 

 being torn in his struggles. In landing a fish with the net similar 

 precautions must be taken ; the man who has charge of the net 

 should remain stationary where he thinks it probable the fish 

 may be landed. The net should be held under water with a 

 stone in it, which will keep the meshes in their place. The angler 

 must run the fish in towards the net in the same manner that 

 he would when the fish was to be gaffed. If the fish is quiet he 

 will generally be able to run him in at once, but should never 

 attempt to do so if he commences to struggle. When the 

 head and shoulders of the fish are well into the net, the netter 

 should raise it sufficiently to get the whole of the body within its 

 meshes ; the hoop of the net should be then lowered, the farther 

 end downward, and the handle at the same time raised thus 

 forming the net into a purse from which there is no escape. The 



