1 2 Salmon 



Taunton, long since deceased ; and what induced 

 me to part with it, I cannot conceive, except it 

 were a strange love of change in fishing-rods, as 

 well as in other things, which we cannot always 

 account for. It fell into the hands of my first 

 mentor in salmon-fishing, who well knew what a 

 good rod was, and then became the property 

 of a gentleman who resided not far from 

 Machynlleth ; but where it is now, I know not. 

 As this rod did not exceed seventeen feet in 

 length, and was scarcely as stiff as I prefer now, 

 it puzzles me how my throwing could have called 

 forth encomiums from my friend, seeing that at 

 the time I was using a thick horsehair Wye line. 

 No one accustomed to an ordinary silk line now 

 would believe that such cables (I may call them) 

 could be cast with the smallest approach to 

 lightness. It is marvellous what a change has 

 taken place, not in lines only, but in the length 

 and weight of rods. 



After having tried rod after rod for many 

 years, I have settled down into the conviction 



