SALMON FLY, SPINNING LURE, ETC. 351 



of Captain de Winton (page 348), the value of a fly, and 

 of using one whose colour partakes of the character of the 

 bottom and surroundings of the river which is being fished. 

 At the particular part of the Tay referred to the pebbles 

 and boulders lying in the channel of the river are more or 

 less covered with a dark weed. Plate LI. also shows the 

 wooded nature of the banks. 



These letters again are interesting as they show the 

 remarkable difference in the manner salmon will attack 

 the lure. In some cases, a whole day may be lost with a 

 series of plucks at the lure by the salmon, which seem to 

 be almost equivalent to the " coming short " of a trout. 

 At other times, every pluck almost invariably means a 

 hooked fish. In Captain de Winton's record, only three fish 

 failed to take hold properly, but the Duchess of Bedford 

 mentions that on her first day the salmon repeatedly failed 

 to take hold of her fly in a satisfactory manner. 



If only four fish out of the many who failed to take the 

 fly properly on the first day, had secured a hold, Her Grace's 

 record would have been equal in number to Captain de 

 Winton's record on the Wye. 



11 November gth, 1913. 

 " DEAR SIR, 



" There were two days on which I landed thirteen 

 salmon last spring, and, as generally happens, the one 

 least written and talked about was the best. 



" The first day, April 2nd, they were taking very 

 short, and fish after fish dropped off directly 

 it had spun the reel out. I finished the day very 

 depressed, as instead of thirteen, I felt I ought to have 

 had at least twenty, though I honestly don't think it 

 was my fault. On the 5th, I again landed thirteen 

 fish, and I think I only had two other rises. The 

 first thirteen weighed 19 1J pounds, those on the 5th, 

 191 pounds. 



