ROD & CREEL 21 



CHAPTER IV. 

 TROLLING FOR SALMON 



WHILE trolling cannot compare with fly fishing or even 

 spinning as a sporting method of hooking fish, still after 

 all is said it cannot be denied that the real sport with 

 salmon begins after they are hooked, and if only suitable rods 

 and tackle are used, trolling is a form of sport out of which a 

 vast amount of pleasure can be obtained; moreover, a consider- 

 able amount more skill is required than is generally supposed, 

 especially for winter salmon, when your success will depend 

 entirely on the way you go about it. 



A trolling outfit used to. and still frequently does, consist 

 of a very heavy line about one-eighth of an inch (more or less) 

 in diameter, one pound of lead to sink it and a plain silver 

 spoon of enormous size. This was dragged through the water 

 at whatever rate suited the energy of the person pulling the 

 boat. This sort of fishing is not sport, though it has the re- 

 deeming feature of giving fresh air and exercise. 



Cohoes. These fish run from four or five pounds in the 

 early part of the season, to as high as fifteen pounds in the 

 latter part. The majority of them are excellent sporting fish, 

 putting up a hard fight before they can be brought to the gaff. 



The Rod should be a light spinning one, about 1CM/2 feet 

 long and sufficiently limber to be almost capable of throwing a 

 fly/ 



The Reel. Nothing will beat a good 3y 2 -inch "Notting- 

 ham," as you can let out and take in line very rapidly. 



The Line. Cuttyhunk is as good as anything you can get. 

 A hundred yards of No. 12, which has a breaking strain of 

 twenty- four pounds, will be ample. 



Traces. Six feet of twisted or strong plain salmon gut 

 is the best thing to use. On no account use ordinary wire as 

 cohoes jump and twist so much they are almost sure to kink it 

 and a break follows. 



Leads are the most important parts of the tackle, as your 

 success will depend to a great extent on the depth you fish. 

 When the fish first come in they swim very near the surface and 

 no lead at all is needed, unless there are many boats fishing 

 when they are apt to swim deeper. Later in the season as the 

 bigger fish arrive you must get a bit deeper, but it is seldom 

 that more than one ounce of lead is needed. 



