SECRETS OF THE SALMON 



and they almost bumped each other, so none got 

 the fly. The second cast was more successful 

 and a nineteen-pound fish succeeded in beating 

 the others to it. After one jump I handed the 

 rod to Mr. B. who yelled for me to get another 

 and called to the guide on the shore to bring Mr. 

 A. down from the camp at once. By the time he 

 arrived I was just hooking another fourteen-pound 

 fish and Mr. A. got up to the boat just in time to 

 take the rod and go off down the pool with the fish. 

 Their two sons were in another boat just behind, 

 so I took another rod and hooked one for them. It 

 was a great disappointment that the smaller fish 

 were always quicker than the larger ones, and as 

 they composed the larger number, they always got 

 the fly first. We only hooked a few fish of twenty 

 pounds; most of them were fifteen, sixteen, eigh- 

 teen pounds. But this is good fishing on light 

 rods. We had three rods going all the time, and 

 as one salmon was landed the rod was loaded with 

 another fish in a few minutes. I lost all count, 

 but the guides said I had fifty-four rises and hooked 

 fourteen fish, of which they landed eleven. As this 

 is about the usual proportion of rises to fish hooked, 

 unless the angler is very lucky and skilful, I think 

 it is probably a correct estimate. We finally 



[ 102 ] 



