AUGUST 207 



heart and a ten-foot split-cane. Neither was suitable, 

 for a light fifteen-footer is the proper tool for Salmo 

 trutta. But the water was big, and just as I was 

 hesitating which to use, up jumped a clean-run 

 salmon and decided me in favour of the big rod. The 

 sun was intensely bright, so I selected two of the 

 smaller grilse flies in my case a so-called 'sun-fly,' with 

 black silk body, and wing entirely of golden pheasant 

 crest feathers, with a gay blue hackle at the throat, 

 and for a tail fly a brilliant gold-bodied affair with a 

 crimson hackle. 



The first try over the pool was disappointing. No 

 salmon or grilse looked up ; several sea-trout flashed at 

 the flies and turned away ; only one of a pound came 

 to bank. So, being at the tail 'of the pool, I resorted to 

 a device which has often proved of avail when fish 

 came short I backed it up. It is such a useful 

 wrinkle that, at the risk of imparting stale news, I 

 venture to describe the process, because, strange to 

 say, few anglers seem to resort to it. Standing at the 

 foot of the stream or pool, you must draw out a long 

 line, fling it to the far side, and step backwards very 

 slowly up the bank, making a fresh cast as soon as the 

 flies come to the near side. One advantage is that the 

 line is thus kept without a belly in it, which is of much 

 advantage in striking a fish. Then there seems to be 

 some attraction to fish in moving objects which come 

 over them from behind. At all events, I have often 

 killed salmon in this way, which would not look at 

 a fly coming down to meet them. 



