384 Big Game Fishes 



salmon, the gallant high jumper, the ultima thule 

 of the angler's dreams and hopes, the Oncorhyn- 

 chus tschawytscha of science. No more attractive 

 country can be imagined than that contiguous 

 to the waters of the bay of Monterey where it 

 reaches north to Santa Cruz and south to the 

 bay of Carmel, of happy days, with its old mis- 

 sion, its trout streams, and charming coast line, 

 a natural park, to linger long in the memory. It 

 appeals to the angler in many ways, and one can 

 readily understand why the old Spaniards selected 

 this spot as their stronghold in the north. 



It is generally believed on the Pacific coast that, 

 as a rule, the salmon will not rise to a fly, and it 

 has passed into angling history that we owe our 

 possession of Alaska to this fact; for did not a 

 certain British admiral of sporting proclivities say 

 when the question was being discussed by the 

 nations of the world, " Oh, let the Yankees have 

 it, the salmon won't take a fly ! " And did not 

 the English press immediately drop the show of 

 opposition to the purchase which it had made? 

 If angling history is to be believed, it did. Dr. 

 Jordan states : " The chinook salmon does not take 

 the hook [probably meaning fly] when in fresh 

 water, though it is occasionally taken on the 



