76 TWEED. 



the shepherd of a neighbouring farm hooked a 

 fish, which, while he ran, another fish followed it 

 all over the pool, that could he have used his gaff 

 while holding the rod, he might have killed 

 both, so close did it follow the other to the 

 side. Spawning season can only account for this 

 piscatory fact. Much has been said about strik- 

 ing your fish. This may be done when fishing 

 for trout ; but, so far as I have found and experi- 

 enced, never for salmon. Many a good line 

 have I seen broken by this process. When the 

 water is heavy, and when you may fish with 

 double gut, even to the fly, then you may do as 

 you like ; but if you are fishfng with three or 

 four links of single gut, and the water clear and 

 not very deep, let the fish, I say, hook themselves. 

 If you harle so as to keep the fly on or near the 

 top of the water whenever you see a fish rise, 

 if he has taken the hook you have only to 

 raise the point of the rod, and he is generally 

 quite secure, some again sink their fly so low 

 in the water, that the beauty of the rise is never 

 seen (but which I dearly love to behold), and a 

 deadly way it is, for the heaviest fish often take 

 it then. Still, I would recommend only to raise 

 the point of your rod. 



