Tackle 8 1 



my ideas with the full belief that many of them 

 can be successfully controverted. I am often 

 inclined to think that the simple views as to flies 

 held by a Micmac Indian, Jacques Vicaire, who 

 fished with me for many years are not so far out 

 of the way. " Wen salmon want a fly, he take 

 any fly damn quick. Wen he don't want none, 

 no matter how many you show him, he say go to 



h ." 



Perhaps I may begin by saying that, as a gen- 

 eral rule, large flies are better in high water and 

 early in the season, and small ones when the 

 water is low and clear. I have seen exceptions 

 to this rule, and fish taken on No. 3 and 4 flies 

 in early high-water fishing, and on one occasion 

 when we were using in July Nos. 8's and ic's in 

 the very low clear water, I took four good fish 

 one afternoon on a large No. 2 toppy. I knew 

 salmon were in the pool, and had tried them in 

 vain with various small flies for several days. 

 When I changed to the toppy they took it at 

 once. I would not therefore recommend a big 

 fly of this kind for low, clear water, though a 

 similar experiment might succeed when salmon 

 will not take the flies appropriate to the time 

 and place. As to the sizes of flies, what may be 



