SALMON FISHING. 1 5 1 



than one fish in five which fairly take the fly in open 

 water ought to escape. I kept a register for some time of 

 my losses and takes, and I found this to be a fair average. 



Having mastered this point, the tyro who knows any- 

 thing of Trout-fishing will find that there is very little 

 to learn in the art of Salmon-fishing which a few hours 

 practice under a good master will not suffice to teach 

 him. The principles of casting and working the fly are 

 in fact almost identical, allowing for the difference in 

 size and weight of the tackle employed. All the move- 

 ments, that is to say, and particularly that given to the 

 fly in the water, are somewhat slower than in Trout- 

 fishing. The method of casting — the principles which 

 should guide the Salmon-fisher in selecting the size of 

 his fly — the general condition of wind, weather, &c. — 

 are also similar, and for all these the reader is referred 

 to the chapter on Trout-fishing. 



Salmon, however, depend more on the condition of 

 the water than do Trout, and there are many rivers 

 / in which the chances of taking a fish are almost nily 

 unless there is a "fresh" in the river. 



As regards the " where" to fish for Salmon in any given 

 river, this can only be acquired by local experience. Some- 

 times what to the natural man appears a most lovely cast, 

 hardly holds a fish from one end of the season to the 

 other, whilst in the uninviting lagoon-like looking hole 

 below, a rise may be predicted with certainty. Even 

 particular stones are not unfrequently haunted by Salmon 



