148 FISHING RIVERS. 



cases, takes it at the side you are on, or when you 

 let your fly first fall as you never fish up the 

 water for him, and I consider a long line indispen- 

 sable, as he is a very timid fish ; although I have 

 seen them follow and take the worm in the latter 

 end of the season, when the river was small, at my 

 very feet. For trout, a long line, too, but cast 

 right across the river, and you often take more 

 fish the moment your fly alights on the water, 

 than when you drag or ' harrle ' your flies round 

 for another cast. Some of the most successful 

 fishers seldom move the point of their rod much, 

 others again play it a good deal, and with as much 

 success. In this way, you observe the fish when 

 they rise (and it is a beautiful sight to see the 

 salmon do so), but I have taken more large trout 

 when the fly was sunk under the water. Do not 

 stay in endeavouring to entice a trout, as it seldom 

 rises twice. I have, on the other hand, seen a 

 salmon enticed, so that he has risen six or seven 

 times, and then take it at last. This is, no doubt, 

 rare ; and, on the contrary, as many times they 

 rise and do not take the hook, which is called 'grip- 

 ping slack.' Now, instead of carrying all kinds 

 of feathers, as I have said before, to busk hooks, 

 the best way, in these days of cheap postage and 



