252 SALMON AND TROUT. 



with a friend. We used to meet at lunch to compare notes. 

 One day when we met as usual, my friend produced five splen- 

 did new run fish, one of them over 20 Ibs., and I had nothing 

 to show. I could see that he had no pity for me, and that he 

 was highly pleased with himself, and although I pretended that 

 I rejoiced with him, I was in reality not at all happy and felt 

 very small. This was bad enough, but when, on our separating 

 to resume our sport after lunch, he said to me, ' Well, as you 

 are not getting any sport perhaps you would like to read the 

 newspaper (handing me one), instead of fishing this afternoon,' 

 it was almost more than I could stand. However, I declined 

 with thanks and said nothing more, but I hated him for half 

 an hour most cordially, and vowed I would pay him out some 

 day, and shortly afterwards I had an opportunity of doing so, 

 for I produced eight spring fish one day at lunch time, my 

 friend having only landed a kelt ; but knowing what his feelings 

 must be, I did not chaff him or offer him a newspaper to read. 

 May my forbearance be chronicled by the recording angel ! 

 That day I killed eleven fish, averaging 10 Ibs., the best day I 

 ever had spring fishing. 



I have seen many strange incidents during my salmon-fishing 

 experience, but the cleverest thing I ever saw done was by the 

 above-mentioned friend. He was fishing a pool in the Blackwater, 

 co. Cork, a short distance above me. All of a sudden I heard 

 shouting, and when I went to see what was the matter, I found 

 that after a long play he had been broken by a big salmon, who 

 took away his fly and about forty yards of his reel line. He 

 had put on another casting line and fly and was fishing the 

 same pool down again when he noticed a fish rising two or 

 three times in a very eccentric manner, and the idea struck him 

 that it was the same fish that had broken him trying to get rid 

 of the fly and line. He was a man of great resource and never 

 at a loss what to do in any case of emergency, so he took off 

 his fly, put on a triangle weighted with a good bit of lead, and 

 casting this over the stream below where he saw the fish rise, 

 and dragging it across, in a little time he succeeded in recover- 



