SALMON-FISHING 

 confess that only on two occasions has my diligence been rewarded. Once, 

 on March 21, 1903, I started to fish the Dunkeld water of the Tay, only 

 to find the river too big, rising fast, and getting dirty. Already branches 

 and rubbish were tossing on the stream, so I turned to go home. Passing 

 the Warren Pool I was tempted to put a big fly over the strong back- 

 water that washes the north bank. The line was hardly out when it 

 tightened strictly upon something — a floating branch, methought, but 

 only for a moment. I was fast in something better; in a few minutes I 

 brought up a pretty sixteen-pounder to the gaff, and hied me home well 

 pleased at this stroke of luck. 



There remains only one other mode of fly-fishing for salmon to be 

 noticed, to wit, that known as '* harling," which is practised from a boat 

 on rivers so wide as cannot be fished from the bank or by wading, and 

 where the current is too strong to allow casting from a boat rowed against 

 the stream, as is the custom in fishing the Tweed " dubs."* In Scot- 

 land the Tay is the only river in which resort is had to harling, and in 

 Norway the Namsen is the type of river where the same method has to 

 be adopted. 



Two, generally three, rods are projected from the stern of the boat, 

 with flies or other lures trailing at the end of thirty yards or so of line. 

 Beginning at the head of the pool the boat is rowed gently backwards 

 and forwards across the river, being allowed to drop a little lower at 

 each turn. The angler has nothing to do but keep awake, so as to be 

 ready to take up the rod smartly when a fish hooks itself. Notice of that 

 is conveyed to him by the fall of a pebble which is placed on the bight of 

 the line close to the reel, and which is jerked off when the fish takes 

 hold. While the angler attends to the hooked fish, the boatman rowing 

 stroke reels up the other two lines out of harm's way. 



Harling is undoubtedly a deadly form of fishing, for the three flies or 

 other baits traverse every foot of likely water without the slightest exer- 

 tion on the part of the angler; but it is an indolent pursuit; it deprives 

 the angler of that most exquisite sensation — the first pull of a salmon taking 

 the fly; therefore harling should never be practised where fair casting 

 is possible. On a great river in a state of flood it affords really the only 

 reasonable chance of sport; but even on such a river as the Tay, it is quite 



'These dubs are characteristic features of the lower part of the Border river. The term is applied to the loni, 

 placid reaches with languid current, as at Sprouston, Birgham, Carham, etc. They hold great numbers of salmon at 

 times. 



L , 73 



