3 io ROD AND RIVER 



towards the fly, as it is by degrees brought up 

 under the bank, and the water has been fished inch 

 by inch, as close up to where he is standing as will 

 leave a convenient length of line to take off the 

 water ; but he must bear in mind that, through- 

 out the whole performance, the rod, line, and fly 

 must be in the same plane. I have italicised 

 this sentence, because it is not infrequently the 

 case that salmon fishermen hold their rods at 

 right angles to the line. It is a wrong system; 

 the position is unsuitable for striking a fish, and 

 the motion which is imparted to the fly when the 

 rod is thus held is not so true and life-like as 

 when it is held as I have described. In gathering 

 up the line, it should first be drawn in by the 

 fingers of the left hand ; those of the right hand, 

 closing upon the rod, serve to prevent the slack 

 again running out. 



As far as the casting part of the performance is 

 concerned, the process is similar to that which I 

 have described with a trout-rod, save that both 

 hands are required to use the larger rod. When 

 picking the line off the water prior to making a 

 fresh cast with a salmon-rod, it must be first drawn 

 clear of all slack water, etc., and to the surface, 

 and then, before the point of the rod is raised 

 higher than an angle of 45 with the stream, 

 twitched smartly and cleanly oft ; but the point 

 of the rod should never be allowed to go more 



