SALMON 23 



noon, and in the brightest sun. A small Silver 

 Grey or Silver Doctor is then the most killing 

 fly. Our record fish was killed on a Silver 

 Grey on a bright day, about noon. On a dark 

 day we have found the Jock Scot invincible. 

 The worst time undoubtedly is late in the after- 

 noon, when the sun is shining directly up the 

 river, but I have known fish take even then. 



The angler's ambition is ever to kill a really 

 big fish, but it is not always the biggest fish 

 that fight most pluckily for their lives. I met 

 with an instance of this a few years ago when 

 fishing the Sundal River. It was clearing after 

 a spate; the previous day it had been too big 

 and too dirty for sport. By the side of a strong 

 running stream I hooked a fish, but until he 

 was on the shore I had no suspicion of his size. 

 He was extremely sluggish, and seemed averse 

 to going out into the stream, and never, I 

 think, took out five yards of line. Within six 

 minutes of my hooking him he drifted close 

 to the bank, when my gillie put the gaff into 

 him and dragged him ashore. Then we saw 

 to our surprise and delight that he was a great 

 fat cock fish ; and they were increased when 

 we found that he actually scaled 42 Ib. I was 



