Where to Fish for Salmon. 35 



singular vagaries of salmon were related to me by 

 a friend, a first-rate salmon fisher. 



He was fishing in the Ribble in what is called the 

 Froth Pot, close to Mytton Hall, and the Mytton 

 keeper was netting "Clay Hole," a pool about 

 one-third of a mile above, and as is usual in that 

 country, beating the water with poles to drive the 

 fish. All at once, having just made a cast towards 

 the opposite and deep side of the pool, he heard a 

 violent splashing and hubbub on the shingle behind 

 him, and turning round found that a fine fifteen- 

 pound fresh-run salmon, driven, as he supposed and 

 still supposes, by the netters above, had in his rush 

 down stream run himself high and dry. In an 

 instant, having thrown down his rod, he was upon 

 him, and getting two fingers under his gill covers, 

 and with the other hand grasping him above the 

 tail, he ran with him alive into the kitchen of the 

 hall, and to the astonishment of the scullery maid, 

 who was washing dishes, then and there threw him 

 into the sink. The same friend on another occasion 

 was fishing the Laxford ; he had fished the pool 

 above, and while casting into what is called the 

 Duchess Pool, became aware of the presence above 

 him on the river of a large bird, which he believed 

 to be a great northern diver, and which appeared to 

 be doing something on the river, which at the 

 distance he was he could not make out. Presently 



