WORKING THE SALMON-FLY. 



117 



consulted. In other respects the trout-fisher must forget all he 

 has learned on chalk or moorland streams. Little attention 

 need be paid to the fly falling lightly on the surface, but the 

 line should be fully extended on the water, and not fall " all of a 

 heap." Neither cast up stream nor across, but down and across, 

 as to point C in Fig. 76. Then let the stream carry the fly 



Fig. 76. How to Cast for Salmon. 



round to D, when a fresh cast can be made. When salmon lie 

 under the opposite bank, in slack water, the force of the current 

 in the centre of the stream will bear down on the line, and drag 

 the fly from the opposite bank before the fish have a chance of 

 seeing it. The only way to get over the difficulty is, just 

 before (just after is considered the easiest by some anglers) 

 the line touches the water, to jerk the rod a little to the right, 

 and so cause the line to belly up stream. This plan, for which I 

 am indebted to Major Traherne, sometimes overcomes the diffi- 

 culty, and gives a fish time to seize the fly; but these eddies or 

 slack waters on the other side of rapid streams are standing 

 grievances to both trout and salmon anglers. On one's own side 

 of the river they are, of course, easy enough to fish. 



As the fly works round from C to D, the rod should gradually 

 follow it ; and, if you please, you may slowly lower and raise the 

 point of the rod a few inches, which will cause the feathers of 

 the fly to open and shut, if much line is not in the water. Many 

 experienced anglers say that to thus work the fly is unnecessary, 

 but it is very generally done. Perhaps the best plan is to fish a 

 cast first without working the fly, and then, if that fails, to work 

 it. If there is very little stream, the angler must of course 



K 2 



