316 ROD AND RIVER 



flies which, under ordinary conditions, rarely fail 

 to do their duty on any river in which they may 

 be used. I maintain that with the following in 

 his book, dressed on some two or three different 

 sized hooks, the angler need hardly hesitate to 

 trust his luck on any river in Britain : 



The Jock Scott. Silver Gray. 



The blue Jock Scott. Dusty Miller. 



The silver Doctor. Butcher. 



The blue Doctor. The Mystery. 



The Popham. 



Of course, there are heaps of other patterns which 

 are all good ; indeed, the number of salmon-flies 

 is innumerable. I intend to refer to some of the 

 best of these, giving their dressings later on. 



When a salmon comes and takes, in nine cases 

 out of ten he contrives to hook himself with- 

 out any effort on the part of the angler being 

 necessary, for as the fly is in motion, this, 

 combined with the dash of the fish, is generally 

 sufficient to drive the hook home. In no case 

 should a fish be struck in the ordinary acceptation 

 of the word. Here, as in trout-fishing, it is not 

 a strike ; it should rather be a steady, firm draw 

 of the line, the rod point being raised upward. 

 This is all that is required. A violent upward 

 snatch would probably result in a smash. The 

 instant the fish feels the steel it makes a rush for 



