SALMON, 133 



man hunts, the less he admits he knows about the 

 rules which govern it ; so, the longer he fishes, 

 the more readily he acknowledges his ignorance of 

 the moving causes which affect the fishes' inclina- 

 tions, or, as I contend, appetites. When the water 

 is low, bright, and clear, it is useless fishing with 

 a fly ; but I attribute this more to the impossibility 

 of concealing yourself and disguising your opera- 

 tions than to any other cause. Under such cir- 

 cumstances, salmon are frequently taken with a 

 great coarse lob--worm, at which a chub or a carp 

 would turn up his nose. The most favourable state 

 of the water for fishing is when the river is toler- 

 ably high, and neither rising nor falling rapidly, 

 coloured, but not too deeply, and cold rather than 

 warm. Soft winds, however essential in trout-fish- 

 ing, are by no means desirable when the salmon 

 is your object ; and I think the best sport I have 

 ever had has been with an easterly wind blowing. 

 Still, as I have said, there is no golden rule, and 

 your most experienced fisherman will be a better 

 judge of the appearances of water and weather 

 when he returns at night than when he went out 

 in the morning. 



In a rocky stream, whether the rocks are sub- 

 merged or jut out from the bank, nothing is more 

 common than the loss of your fish from the casting- 



