ROD <S- CREEL 59 



in a bad position a big steelhead is quite capable of bringing you 

 flat on your face in the water, as actually happened to myself 

 when fishing in the Capilano a couple of years ago. I hooked a 

 fish on my first or second cast well up in the pool, and after mak- 

 ing one jump, he ran out into the swift water and hung there. 

 I knew it was only a small fish and was not as careful as I other- 

 wise should have been. As luck would have it while the fish 

 was lying there, a bird of some kind flew right across from the 

 opposite bank almost hitting me in the face and so close that I 

 ducked my head. Well, the fish seized the opportunity to make 

 a most violent rush and jerked the rod out of my left hand. 

 Somehow I caught the rubber butt in my right and held on, but 

 I went flat down on my face, luckily in only about six inches of 

 water. Of course there should have been a spectator or two to 

 laugh at the "bungle" I had made of it, but hurried glances over 

 my shoulder relieved my mind and, strange to say, nothing was 

 broken and the fish still on. And it was only a nine-pound fish ! 



Three-quarters of the steelheads and salmon that are lost 

 when river fishing break something because the rod is too light 

 to play the fish, or the man handling it does not hold it up, with 

 the result the whole force of the fish's runs go straight on to the 

 line and hooks and this is nearly sure to be fatal. Do not be 

 afraid to use the butt as long as you keep your hand off the line 

 and only put enough check on the reel to prevent an over-run. 

 If you try to check a fish by holding the line you will surely get 

 a badly cut hand. 



Always keep opposite your fish when you can do so and keep 

 him in deep water until he is quite played out. A steelhead has 

 a wonderful way of recovering just when you think he is done 

 for and if he happens to be in shallow water will jump, splash 

 and roll about to such an extent that you are very likely to lose 

 him after all. 



If you are alone, wait until the fish rolls over on his side 

 before you attempt to gaff him; if you have not got a gaff look 

 out for a nice shallow below you and guide him down stream on 

 to it, keeping well out in the water yourself so that with your 

 foot or one hand, always being careful to keep your line taut 

 until the last, flip him ashore. 



Kill your fish immediately, either with a tap on the head or 

 by inserting the point of a knife into the vertebrae just back of 

 the head. It is a beastly sight to see a fish left jumping about 

 for some time after he is landed. 



Playing Fish from Boats. When playing a big fish from a 

 boat, there is only one way to do it properly and that is to stand 

 up, and the bigger the fish and more weight you can put on him, 

 the easier it is to do without fear of losing your balance. When 

 standing in a boat you should always stand with your feet well 



