Striking. 271 



turn, but that second must be given him. If, how- 

 ever, you are not sensible of his attack till you 

 actually feel his weight on the line, give him not a 

 moment's grace, but respond at once. In salmon- 

 fishing, as usually practised with a long line in 

 streams or rough water, it is not so easy to follow 

 the fly with the eye as in trout-fishing, and in such 

 cases the angler must needs depend more on feeling 

 than on sight ; but in fishing a pool or quiet reach 

 of water with a short line, the same necessity is not 

 laid upon him, and he should then watch for every 

 indication of a rise. I am aware that my views on 

 this point do not coincide with those of Stoddart, 

 " Ephemera," and others, who say that one should 

 never strike till he has actually felt the pull of the 

 fish at the line. My practice has always been to 

 strike the moment I saw the fish turn, although I 

 had not felt his weight at all. and my reward has 

 been the capture of many a hundred salmon. 

 Strike gently in a heavy stream, and more firmly 

 in a smooth water. In no case, however, does it 

 involve any great exertion ; a slight raising of the 

 rod is generally sufficient to fix the hook. This 

 accomplished, the contest for the mastery begins. 

 If the fish be slightly hooked, he generally disports 

 himself pretty freely out of the water, " impatient 

 of the wound," or " indignant of the guile " ; but he 

 may be 



