806 THE ROD. 



be whirled by rail to the Arctic Circle in twenty-four hours, 

 and the more distant rivers consume more time to go to 

 and to come from than the great bulk of salmon-fishers of 

 the present day can afford to give to the journey. Another 

 unfortunate feature, however, now largely prevails. Salmon 

 can, by the aid of huge stores of ice which are easily 

 secured, be sent to England profitably, and large quanti- 

 ties are thus sent from the more approachable rivers, and 

 netting is rapidly increasing to an injurious extent. 



There are fifty salmon-fishers now for one of twenty 

 years ago. The fisherman who had killed salmon was then 

 looked upon as a tremendous creature. It was something 

 as exceptional as shooting a gorilla, was this killing of a 

 salmon with a fishing-rod. Now the exception is all the 

 other way, and the consequence is that persons are often 

 met with on salmon rivers whom it would be delighful 

 to kick into them; for I have seen and heard of such 

 scenes, such disgraceful squabbles, conducted in such a 

 way, and in such language, as made one wish that salmon- 

 fishing were less popular. Happily for the credit of the 

 craft, such things are not of every day occurrence, and 

 indeed, they had not need be. 



But I ought not to find fault with the increasing popu- 

 larity of my favourite sport ; and, with this civil growl, I 

 proceed to explain the mysteries of the art. So travel a 

 little farther with me, young trout-fisher, and it shall not 

 be my fault if you do Dot know all that I know about it. 



THE ROD. 



The first consideration for the would-be salmon -fisher 

 is the r^d. This should be proportioned to his height and 

 strength. Nothing looks so absurd as an ambitious little 

 individual labouring under a huge threshing-machine as 

 big as a sloop's mast, which he is manifestly unequal to 



