136 TAKEN BY SURPRISE. 



it in a way that I never saw before, making it in shape, 

 with a slight exaggeration, nearly two thirds of a circle. 

 "Gie him line, gie him line," roared out Kerse and 

 Charlie Purdie, — ** od but he'll break ye, mon." Now I 

 knew that if he went down the Clippers amongst the 

 rocks, I should be cut in a moment to a dead certainty ; 

 for, as I noted before, I could not follow. So I was 

 determined not to yield at all events, and I held him 

 firm at the surface of the water. In this position he 

 had not half his natural power, and in less than a 

 minute Charlie cleiked him, and brought him out before 

 he could dig down. Thus he was taken by surprise. He 

 proved to be a clean salmon of ten pounds, and the 

 first that had been caught that season. Now this could 

 not have been done, had not the line been short and the 

 fish almost immediately under me. I remember Kerse 

 (who had before been pressing the necessity of using 

 double or triple gut in such dangerous water) saying, 

 " Ay, that was canny enough ; but if you had not been 

 advised by me, it could not have been done at ony 

 gait." I showed him my casting line, however, which, 

 excepting the first length next the line, was of strong 

 single gut. But he was certainly right in his assertion 

 as to the necessity of very strong tackle in such a sin- 

 gular cast, especially as the river was very full, and the 

 torrent so impetuous that nice tackle was by no means 

 requisite. 



In a low clear water you must be somewhat dilatory 

 in striking : you often see the heave of the water and 

 a break before the fish has actually seized your fly. Give 

 him time to turn his head in his way back to his seat, 



