Whe7'e to Fish for Salmon, 39 



gaffed him. In fact, when the riv^er is in order the 

 right bank for this pool is the best. 



All salmon fishers have experienced that most 

 unpleasant feeling of disgust and disappointment 

 when, on arriving at the river side, although every- 

 thing appears to be right for fishing — water right 

 colour, clouds ditto, no glare on the water — the 

 fish appear to be rising, at least they are moving 

 and jumping, yet not a fish will come at your fly. 

 You change it from this to that colour, from big to 

 little ; you carefully fish every part of the pool, and 

 then the stream ; you wait and fish it again, and 

 yet no result : there are the fish — there a big one 

 shows himself — here another jumps. The miseries 

 of Tantalus are nothing to yours, at least you think 

 so. You sit down, smoke your pipe, eat your 

 luncheon, and try again : the same result. Many 

 give it up and go home, but in such cases there are 

 two friends who often have given me a help, 

 Patience and Perseverance ; depend upon it if you 

 trust these they will not send you home empty- 

 handed. I will give an instance. Once fishing on 

 the Ness in Lord Saltoun's water, I had come down 

 from the upper part, fishing all day without a rise. 

 I came upon a well-known fisherman flogging a 

 favourite pool above the castle, " Lady Saltoun's 

 pool." I put my rod down and sat on the bank, and 

 observed with what care and skill my friend fished 



