98 



The Gentle Art of Angling. 



possible. A sharp stroke will easily 

 transfix the fish in that position. 

 If a net is used, it should be first 

 dipped in the river so as to 

 straighten out the meshes. The 

 hoop is slightly sunk in the water 

 and at right angles, instead of 

 being laid flat on the surface. 

 Keeping the salmon's head well 

 raised, the net is sharply slipped 

 under it, and then over the body. 

 One precaution is very necessary, 

 viz., to have more than a rod's 

 length of line out, including the 

 gut cast. With less there is 

 almost a certainty of breaking the 

 top of the rod in the process of 

 landing the fish. 



Salmon have many moods for 

 which the angler must be pre- 

 pared. One is sulking. Heavy 

 fish have a way of becoming 

 stationary after a little play, and 

 refusing to budge, however much 

 one leans upon them. Fishing 

 from a boat, it is easy to get close 

 to them, and stimulate their 

 energies by means of the pole. A 

 sharp knock on the bottom will 

 generally set them on the run. 

 From the bank or wading this is 

 not so easy. Stone-throwing is 

 tried with doubtful effect. A 

 split ring slipped on the line and 

 rattled down to the fish's nose is 

 disconcerting, and may be tried 

 provided one does not put too 

 much store on the value of the 

 ring. Some anglers drop the 

 rod and hand-play the fish. This 

 gives a side pull which cannot be 

 long resisted. When he does 

 move he should be well held up 

 in the water, and gaffed at the 

 first chance he gives. 



Jiggering is another trick of 

 which some salmon are past- 



masters. When hooked, instead 

 of making a run, as all right- 

 minded fish should do, they hold 

 up and tug at the line as a terrier 

 at a root when scraping a rabbit 

 burrow. The largest fly will be 

 torn from its hold if jiggering is 

 persisted in. It is difficult to 

 check a fish that adopts this form 

 of resistance. Some anglers lean 

 as hard as they dare, others 

 pursue the opposite course and 

 give a slack line. The latter 

 method I prefer, as the tugging 

 cannot be kept up without re- 

 sistance on the part of the rod. ^1 

 have put a stop to it fora moment 

 or two by the policy of the slack 

 line, but the moment the rod was 

 tightened the fish resumed his old 

 tactics. If a fish is well hooked 

 in a bony part of the mouth, one 

 can afford to lean on him. In 

 slacking off, the danger of running 

 foul of rocks and weeds in the 

 pool has to be encountered. A 

 salmon with his head free does 

 not take long to get into mis- 

 chief. 



These and other pretty ways of 

 Salmo salav have to be encountered. 

 The loss of many a good fish is 

 sure to follow. Such adversity is 

 likely to try the temper. I have 

 known it to affect an angler's 

 speech, and prompt to utterances 

 outside the category of polite 

 language. But a sporting stoicism 

 is the best to display in such 

 circumstances. If a fish is lost 

 through one's own fault, self- 

 castigation may be salutary ; but 

 if it is a matter of outwitting his 

 would-be captor by strength or 

 cunning, it is only, after all, the 

 fortune of sport in which the 

 victor deserves congratulation. 



