ADVICE AS TO THE TACKLE. 255 



Having thus briefly described the likeliest resorts of 

 the fish in a salmon river, and alluded to their caprice 

 in selecting this or the other point of shelter, in pre- 

 ference to one seemingly as accommodating, I am 

 brought to treat of what is more pertinent to the 

 matter in hand, namely, the question, how ought 

 salmon to be angled for ? 



I shall, first of all, set forth a few instructions as to 

 the best method of capturing this fish with the fly, and 

 then proceed to explain how it may be taken, most 

 readily, by means of the worm, minnow, or parr-tail. 

 As I have already, in former chapters, described the 

 tackle generally used by the salmon fisher, it is quite 

 unnecessary for me to make any further mention of it 

 at present. Let me urge, however, upon the angler a 

 single advice in regard to it. On no occasion, while 

 fitting it to his rod, should he neglect examining into 

 its sufficiency. Every knot, strand, and length of the 

 entire casting-line ought to be separately scrutinised, 

 and, to a due extent, tested. The fly-hooks also, which 

 are intended to be made use of, require close investiga- 

 tion. It may happen, for instance, that the barb is 

 deranged or broken, the hackle loose, the eye or neck 

 of gut fretted and weakened. There may, in fact, be 

 half a score of matters connected with the fly-hook 

 that need to be looked into, nor is the requisite investi- 

 gation accompanied with much trouble or loss of time ; 

 at any rate, what trouble it costs or time it involves is 

 made up for by the measure of risk avoided or got 

 rid of. 



THE CASTING OF THE LINE. In fly-fishing for sal- 

 mon, the casting of the line is generally managed, first 

 of all, by raising the rod back over the left shoulder. 

 This part of the operation requires to be done slowly 



