250 AMERICAN FISHES. 



right shoulder, thereby compelling him to strain out the line, the 

 velocity of which you must regulate with the ball of your thumb, inch 

 by inch from the reel, against the whole reluctance and spring of the 

 elastic rod. 



When the fish runs in, the rod must be held nearly erect, and the 

 line reeled in as quickly as possible. If the fish turn sulky, as he will 

 sometimes, and plunge down to the bottom, lying there like a stone or 

 a lump of lead, he must be aroused and forced to run again by a peb- 

 ble cast in as closely as may be to the spot where he lies, and then his 

 run must be alternately humored and controlled, like the whims of a 

 pretty woman, until his resistance is overpowered, and, like her, he 

 yields him to your will. 



The fly is, as I have before observed, by far the most effective and 

 killing bait for the Salmon, although it is very doubtful for what the 

 animal mistakes it, since it has no resemblance in nature. The best are, 

 in my opinion, combinations of peacock herl, and jay's wing, with 

 body of pink, blue or green silk twined with gold or silver tinsel ; there 

 are, however, many other gay and gaudy feathers which are nearly 

 equally killing, and every fisherman has his own fa.vorites. The ac- 

 companying plate contains at No. 1, representations of several varie- 

 ties of Salmon-flies, and at No. 2 of Lake-flies for great Trout, which ] 

 know to be killing, as I know them to be beautiful and which were 

 prepared especially for this work, to my order, by the Conroys of Ful- 

 ton-street, New York, of whom I have already spoken as, in my opin- 

 ion, the best rod and tackle maker in America, if not perhaps in the 

 world. 



The Salmon, especially when quite fresh-run from the sea, will take 

 the worm at times greedily ; for which mode he must be fished for 

 with a stiffer rod, similar to that used for Bass angling, with a quill- 

 float, and enough of slot on the gut to carry the bait down close to the 

 bottom. The best worms are the large lob or dew-worms, and they 

 should be cleansed or scoured by keeping them for several days pre- 

 vious to using them in a pot full of moistened moss. Two worms should 

 be used, and they should be baited thus : 



Enter the barb of a large sized No. O, or No. 1 Limerick Salmon* 

 hook at the head of your first worm, and bring it out at the middle ; 

 run the worm quite up on the gut abov^ the arming of the hook ; 



