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CHAPTER XIV. 

 SALMON (Salmo solar), RODS AND TACKLE. 



WE now come to the king of 

 fresh- water rivers the salmon. 

 Caught in any legitimate way, 

 he is the angler's greatest prize. 

 The size to which he grows and 

 corresponding strength, the mad 

 rushes and exciting springs he 

 gives from the water in the fight for 

 life and liberty, make him facile 

 princeps as a sporting entity. Sal- 

 mon spawn in the gravelly beds of 

 rivers, the fry remaining from one 

 to three years in the fresh water 

 before going to the sea. Previous 

 to migrating they are called parr, 

 and are marked with faint blue 

 bars. After this, they become 

 silvery, the change being effected 

 by the growth of scales which 

 marks the smolt stage. The scales 

 are supposed to be a protection 

 against the injurious effects of salt 

 water. Corroboration of this is 

 found in the fact that the young 

 fish do not migrate until they 

 obtain them. They return from 

 the sea to the river as grilse. 

 This period of their home-coming 

 differs, some during the first year, 

 others after a longer period, and 

 in greater maturity. The spawn- 

 ing season is during the months 

 of November and December, after 

 which they leave the river as 

 kelts or " spent " fish. Five or 

 six months in the salt water 

 restore them to full vigour, and 

 with an increase of several pounds 

 weight, constituting them spring 

 and summer " clean " fish, which 

 become the coveted object of the 

 angler's quest. 



Of the various modes of angling 

 for salmon, fly-fishing is the chief. 



The outfit consists of a rod vary- 

 ing from 15 ft. in length, accord- 

 ing to the size of the salmon and 

 the conditions under which one 

 fishes. As compared with earlier 

 times, the modern salmon rod is 

 a much lighter weapon. In the 

 older books on the subject, 19 ft. 

 and 20 ft. rods are prescribed. 

 Seldom, nowadays, is a make 

 longer than i8-ft. recommended. 

 I am a strong advocate of further 

 reform in this direction. A long 

 experience has convinced me that 

 the average salmon rod is too 

 heavy. It may be laid down as a 

 first principle that the lighter the 

 rod the better other things being 

 equal. An i8-ft. split cane rod, 

 for example, of the best quality 

 weighs about 44 oz., the reel and 

 line 20 oz. more total, 4 Ib. 

 This weight has to be swung 

 backwards and forwards, often 

 against a stiff wind, three or four 

 times per minute. Few men of 

 ordinary build and physique can 

 do it for half an hour without 

 getting tired. To continue for a 

 day, with the usual intervals of 

 rest, means a backache at the 

 close. The usual result with the 

 owners of these big rods is to 

 resign them for the greater part 

 of the day to the gillie patient 

 beast of burden that he is and to 

 take over the weapon to play the 

 fish when hooked. This means 

 forfeiting the pleasure to say 

 nothing of the credit of hooking 

 one's own salmon. The necessity 

 for using such long, heavy rods 

 does not arise in nine out of every 

 ten cases. On broad rivers, when 



