WHEN A SALMON SULKS 243 



at an angle of 45 as nearly as possible. If the resistance 

 becomes very strong, he may raise it a few degrees, but it 

 should never, unless he wishes to strain the middle of his 

 rod, reach the perpendicular, far less go beyond it.* 



The artifices of salmon are multifarious, and can only be 

 combatted according to circumstances. " Sulking " is a 

 common one, particularly with heavy fish, and a fish will 

 often take up his position at the bottom of a deep pool behind 

 some big stone, and there bo will remain without moving, 

 quietly resisting every effort to stir him, sometimes for a 

 considerable space. A fish of this kind, or a sluggish fish, 

 may sometimes be induced to work by getting behind him, 

 letting out a longish line, so as to get a straight down-stream 

 pull at his head on him. Here let the angler put on a steady 

 heavy strain, accompanying it, if this does not succeed, with 

 a sawing action. The effect of this is to turn the head of the 

 fish a little broadside to the stream, when the force of the 

 stream and the line will cause him perhaps to make an effort 

 to keep his position, and the effort may lead him to forget his 

 sulky tactics and aggravate him to rush forth to the battle 

 again. If, however, this has no effect, a few stones judiciously 

 thrown may startle him out of his propriety, and if your 

 gillie can manage dexterously to hit the line just where it enters 

 the water with a sharp, heavy flint, he will certainly spare you 

 all further trouble. Sometimes a fish takes up his position 

 at the side of a river, and can be dislodged by the aid of the 

 gaff handle or a pole. But if the fish still remains obstinate 

 and is unapproachable, the aid of a bit of lead which can 

 be bent on round the line in a circle, or a common clearing 

 ring, such as is used sometimes by trout or bottom-fishers 

 to clear a hook from weeds, is recommended by some fisher- 

 men. Clasp the ring, if you happen to have one, round the 

 line ; hold the line as upright as possible, and let it slide 

 down " rap " on to the salmon's nose. If this unexpected 

 visitation does not send him flying here, there, and every- 

 where, it certainly ought to, and two or three jerks up and 

 down of the line will be pretty sure to effect the purpose, 

 when the ring can at once be drawn well up the line out of 

 harm's way until an opportunity occurs to unclasp it. A 

 clearing ring and line does not take up much room, and is so 

 useful in a variety of ways to almost every class of angler 



* The true position of the rod in " giving the butt " is shown in Plate 

 XIII. ED, 



