376 THE SALMON FLY. 



young Angler work out and resolve all these knotty points for himself. 

 The secret is, not to fall into wrong habits at the beginning, but to make 

 sure of every step taken, bearing in mind that most things to be learnt are 

 very simple, and that some books do their best to render them obscure. 



We have had to travel over a lot of ground in our preliminary combat, 

 to smooth the way for safely manoeuvring in every nook and corner at the 

 riverside ; but our tussle with the " tug of the line " is over now, and 

 gives way for that other tug the veritable tug o' ivar. The foregoing 

 illustrations and descriptions will soon show the student how to cast, but 

 I now propose to show him how to fish ; and I shall endeavour to give 

 him some valuable hints connected with this branch of the subject. 



In Salmon-fishing there are two principals the Salmon and the 

 Salmon-fisher. Their interests run counter to each other. The one is 

 fully equipped with deadly weapons in his hand ; the other with only a 

 good broad tail which is his sole resource to fight with, in defence of life 

 and liberty. The conflict sometimes is very hot, and, after all, the match 

 is not so particularly unequal. But in order to pilot the tyro to victory 

 he must be possessed of certain further information. He must first know 

 the " Catches," and then how to fish them. Let me explain that Salmon 

 are caught in Pools, Streams, Flats, and Eapids. The places they haunt 

 in these are called " catches "or " lay-byes." The catches vary in size 

 and consequently vary in regard to the number of Salmon they hold. On 

 one day twenty to thirty tenants may be found at home, on another day 

 none at all ; and this difference largely depends upon the time of year and 

 height of water. It comes to this then the stranger must ask, he must 

 court local opinion and advice, or he will most likely find himself at work, 

 as I myself have been, in barren waters. 



Some pools in certain rivers are fishable at any height of water ; 

 whilst in others a slight rise or fall might spoil one's chance altogether. 

 I have, for instance, had good sport on the Lochy in twenty feet or more 

 of flood water, but only in the pools situated at the various bends of the 

 river. And even then a good deal depends upon the nature of the shallow 

 or fishing side. Slanting ground from there, covered with gravel or 

 boulders, generally turns out well in high water. As the waters rise so do 

 all the fish remaining in them come across from the deeps and take up 



