202 SALMON AND TROUT. 



numbers of salmon with a red fly, and find this colour do well 

 in a big water, particularly if stained after a fresh. Although 

 big, gaudy flies are only suitable for big rivers, I see no reason 

 why they should not kill as well as any other pattern upon 

 smaller rivers, provided they are made of a suitable size. I 

 have said success greatly depends upon the size of the fly used, 

 and to judge the proper size is a most important part in the art 

 of salmon fishing. 



On arriving at a river's bank the angler should carefully 

 examine the pool he is about to fish, so as to ascertain the 

 colour and depth of the stream, and whether it is rapid or 

 smooth running. If it is deep and rapid, or stained after a 

 fresh, a large-sized fly should be used, and a smaller one in pro- 

 portion as the stream is clear or shallow. The state of the sky 

 must also be taken into consideration. In spring and autumn 

 salmon will take much bigger flies than in the summer time. A 

 fly that would be called big in summer will appear almost a 

 midge in comparison to the smallest flies generally used in 

 early spring or autumn. If the water, however, should be very 

 low, even in spring, it will be necessary to use a very small fly, 

 according to the size of the water. It is impossible to lay down 

 any hard-and-fast rule for selecting a suitable fly. The art of 

 doing so is only acquired by long experience, and the best of 

 us are often at our wits' end to know what fly to select. 



When a man is seen constantly changing his fly it is certain 

 that sport is bad, and fish not on the move. It is possible, but 

 very improbable, that a change of fly will change the humour 

 of the fish. I have myself changed flies hundreds of times, 

 but have never known it to answer when fish are sulky; a 

 change, however, after a fish has risen is very often successful. 

 It is a common saying that fish get tired of the sight of flies, 

 and become shy by being much fished over ; but if my expe- 

 rience can be taken as evidence, I rather incline to the opinion 

 that it is the fisherman who gets tired of throwing his fly over 

 the fish, rather than the fish that get tired of seeing it. 



I was fishing in the Lyngdal, in the south of Norway, with 



