266 Salmon-Fishing. 



In smooth water, cast well across and down 

 stream, and allow the fly to come gradually round, 

 alternately raising and lowering the point of the 

 rod, until the line attains its natural tension, or 

 reaches a point from which you can with facility 

 make the next throw. By this working or plying 

 of the line the wings of the fly are opened and 

 closed, and the salmon is either deluded by this 

 appearance of life in the lure, and is tempted to 

 taste and try, or he is provoked by the vagaries 

 of the fly to rise and sweep it from his sight. In 

 fishing strong currents, it is necessary to cast farther 

 down-stream than in fishing pools, in order that the 

 fly may not be carried round so rapidly as to escape 

 the notice of the fish. In this case, the point of 

 the rod must be kept pretty well down, for the 

 purpose of sinking the fly a little ; and the working 

 of the line should be performed more gently and 

 less frequently than in quiet water, where the re- 

 sistance to such movements is not so great. Where 

 we have a pool with a current in the middle and 

 a quiet eddy beyond, it may be proper to cast more 

 nearly across, and to move the fly very gently, until 

 it is swept into the current, when the ordinary work- 

 ing is resumed ; but, in general, the casts for salmon 

 are made much more down-stream with the current 

 than those for trout. In all waters, the raising and 

 lowering of the rod must be measured and gradual ; 



