MORE SALMON 51 



by the middle of July, but occasional fresh- 

 run fish are caught in August. I once stayed 

 on another river in Norway until the end 

 of September ; and then the last fish with 

 sea-lice was killed on September 16. It was 

 a small river which fish ascended for four or 

 five miles only. Half-way up, the river 

 formed a small lake, not quite a mile long. 

 In this lake, as the season wore on and the 

 river fell very low, all the fish collected. 

 Again and again we trolled various kinds 

 of minnows over them, but with little result. 

 At last, in the final week of September, there 

 came a mighty rain-flood, and the fish ran 

 up in hordes into the river above. Red, and 

 black, and thin, and unwholesome-looking as 

 they were, they took ravenously whatever fly 

 was offered to them and with more than the 

 keenness of fresh-run fish. Another problem 

 to vex the poor angler. On the last day of 

 the season the river had fallen again and not 

 a fish was to be seen. Doubtless they had 

 all returned to the lake. 



It is strange how salmon, while really in a 

 mood for taking, will come again and again 

 at the fly. In the flood above mentioned, I 



