Playing the Fish. 273 



sojourn in fresh water, it is neither so strong nor so 

 active at all events, its strength and activity are 

 not so enduring. One evident cause of this is, that 

 fresh water hardens and renders tough and stiffly 

 elastic the fins, which are soft and feebly pliant in 

 fish fresh from the sea; and the natural conse- 

 quence is that, aided by those whalebone fin-rays 

 (for to the consistency, or very nearly so, of that 

 substance fresh water reduces them), they are more 

 capable of putting forth enduring effort, and strong 

 and rapid motion, than the obese fresh-run fish with 

 its limber fins. This will explain why the aDgler 

 finds it frequently more difficult to tire out a small 

 fish than a larger one. For myself, I have had, 

 over and over again, an easier task in capturing 

 with rod and line a fresh-run salmon of 15 Ib. in 

 weight, than a grilse half the size, which had been 

 for a few weeks' training, as it were, in short but 

 strengthening commons in fresh water. At all 

 times a grilse will be found more powerful than 

 a salmon of the same weight, because the fins of 

 grilse are larger, in proportion to the size of their 

 bodies, than the fins of adult salmon. Grilse 

 possess, consequently, easier and greater powers of 

 locomotion than salmon." 1 



After hooking your fish, endeavour to keep well 

 up with him. Do not let him have all his own 

 1 Book of the Salmon, p. 201 et seq. 

 S 



