THE SALMON FISHER. 



"bend between shank and point. A four-foot handle 

 is the correct length. Jointed handles are conven- 

 ient to carry, but they are objectionable on account 

 of a possibility of their sliding or telescoping at crit- 

 ical moments. When a fish is gaffed coolness and 

 dexterity are indispensable. Never be in a hurry. 

 Put the gaff into the water as quietly as possible 

 and unobserved of the fish, to the depth of fourteen 

 inches or so, and make the clip upward and inward, 

 sharply but without jerking, endeavoring to fix the 

 point just abaft the shoulders, which is the center of 

 gravity. If hooked elsewhere the fish gets a big le- 

 Terage with head or tail and will make a ghastly rent 

 in his body, if indeed he don't flop off the hook alto- 

 gether. Never strike a fish in the belly. There is 

 nothing more unsightly than a great gaping w r ound, 

 especially if the entrails protrude. Some people 

 prefer to gaff over the back of a fish, with the point 

 of the gaff turned down, claiming that the refraction 

 of the handle in the water is apt to make the aim un- 

 certain when the clip is made from underneath with 

 the point up, but we think the weight of argument 

 s in favor of the other method. The position is 



