238 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING. 



Scotland, but Cross Angling in England, where it is 

 practised with the natural May-fly for catching trout. 

 In trolling for salmon, two men stand opposite to one 

 another on either side of the stream, each with a rod in 

 hand; their lines are joined together, and from the bow 

 which this junction creates about half-a-dozen flies are 

 suspended vertically. Of course there can be no casting 

 of the line ; but the flies are hung in the stream, and 

 passed over it, the fishermen trailing them, and acting 

 in concert ; thus, by means of the number of flies, and 

 the saving of time by not having the line to throw, a 

 great quantity of water is gone over in a short space 

 of time. But this sweeping method has its drawbacks, 

 and very serious ones they are. Out of the number of 

 fish that offer, very few are taken ; many get only a 

 touch of the hook, and escape, and are thus entirely 

 lost to the proprietor of the part of the river where 

 this occurs; for, generally speaking, fish so alarmed 

 quit the water the same night, and travel upwards. 

 1 remember a singular instance of this occurred to me 

 in the Pavilion-water. 



The river was very low and clear at the time ; so 

 much so, that it was in good order for sunning, and 

 therefore in no state for fish to travel in. I chanced, 

 however, to hook a salmon with a fly, which, after 

 being played a little, got off the hook : there was a cairn 

 just above the spot where this occurred, and I told my 

 fisherman to set the net belonging to it that night ; he 

 did so with a very bad grace, assuring me that it was 

 perfectly useless ; or, as he was pleased to express him- 

 self, "just perfect nonsense." Nevertheless the fish, 



