208 STRIKING 



hooked. There will always be sufficient pull on the 

 hook itself, owing to the plunge of the fish or the drag 

 of the line, to ensure the barb penetrating directly 

 its point is checked by the skin. The salmon will 

 undoubtedly sooner or later eject the fly unless the 

 barb touches and becomes fixed in his mouth. The 

 drag and resistance of the rod and line will be sufficient 

 to drive it well home. If, therefore, the rod is kept 

 stationary the strain on the fly will be quite sufficient 

 to hook the fish, and should the barb never be in a 

 position to enter the flesh the fly will be rejected by 

 the salmon naturally, instead of being jerked out of 

 the mouth by a strike, which would effectually scare 

 the fish, and maybe prevent its tackling any other 

 flies presented to it later on. 



So long as an object be moving, the salmon will 

 invariably attack it with a rush ; but should the object 

 be stationary in the water i.e., floating with the 

 current he will take it at times as gently as a big 

 trout would take a drifting worm as it enters his 

 favourite and shady pool. In this latter case, directly 

 the first intimation is conveyed to the fisherman that 

 the fly has been touched an immediate and steady 

 pull at the line should be made. 



When the strain on the rod proves that the fish is 

 hooked, the point of the rod should be kept steady, 

 and the strain on the line should never be relaxed 

 under any circumstances. Not only is this necessary 

 because the fish may be lightly hooked, or hooked on 

 the bone, but also with the idea of exhausting the 



