410 THE SALMON FLY. 



vigour and bitter purpose as the good fellow who blustered for strength in 

 half a dozen sporting papers. 



Unless one sees what takes place it is impossible to be certain what a 

 Salmon has done in taking your fly. At least, it is generally impossible 

 to form an exact conclusion, and so act on it as to send your message 

 through rod and line to the hook in his mouth before you have felt him. 

 Then is the time to put the barb home. Human nature instructs us to 

 do so, just as instinct tells us to pull up a stumbling horse than leave it 

 to take its chance of falling. 



Frankly, I never came across that sweet, gentle creature that hesitated 

 to " raise his rod " at the golden moment when he felt the fish. 



Five and forty years ago that fine Irish Angler, " Ephemera," wrote: 

 " My general rule is not to strike at a Salmon until I feel him." 



And this is mine, too, with these further conditions, namely, when a 

 fish makes a long rush at a fly and remains stationary ; when he takes me 

 on the edge of a sharp-running stream and just wriggles sideways into an 

 eddy ; and when he seizes the fly and I know that he comes on with it 

 towards me. On these occasions I never wait for him to turn. No. 1 

 happens in the Spring of the year in still, bright water ; No. 2 occurs in 

 very hot weather ; and we meet with No. 3 at any time with a very large 

 fish. In each case it comes to downright skill in striking at the proper 

 moment, for in the next the fish will be gone not because he breaks the 

 tackle, for if he is not " hit," he will not have had the opportunity of 

 testing it. 



In continuing the paragraph, " Ephemera " suggests that every man 

 is nervous at the beginning of the year, and asks the oldest among us 

 whether they do not lose many a fish by their " precipitation in striking." 



The question, be it said, was put in those days when the old-fashioned 

 winches were in use, and the dismal practice of holding the line prevailed. 

 In these days such an idea would never enter a man's head. If Anglers, 

 either young or old, are worried with weak nerves, I rather fancy they 

 would err, not so much in proceeding with blind haste, but in using un- 

 necessary strength. And yet any such error as that would, as I say, make 

 no difference whatever under the principle of striking which I uphold, for 

 I have never seen the tackle broken yet or the hooks make much of a 



