Salmon-fishing Catching the Fish. 131 



straining power of the line, tending to hold it back; and 

 third, the vibratory motion of the tip of the rod. The 

 result is that the fly describes an arc of a circle of which 

 the tip of the rod is the centre and the line the radius, 

 and that it travels this path by a succession of impulses 

 and halts, timed by the rate of vibration of the tip of 

 the rod. When the fly moves, its motion draws the wings 

 and hackle together; when it halts, they expand. Thus 

 the parts mentioned seem to open and close something 

 like an umbrella, and a very lifelike and attractive ap- 

 pearance is given to the fly. 



This is the usual, and perhaps the most effective method 

 of displaying a salmon-fly. Some, however, allow the cur- 

 rent to swing the fly steadily through its orbit, omitting 

 altogether to vibrate the tip, while others impart a rapid 

 quiver to the rod, both of which methods are at times 

 successful. Indeed, when a particular fish has been lo- 

 cated upon the capture of which the angler has set his 

 heart, all these methods may be tried in succession with 

 profit. " If one thing don't work, try another," is the 

 angler's golden rule. The order in which they are enu- 

 merated suggests my opinion of the relative merit of 

 these different systems. 



When the current has swept the fly until the line 

 begins to approach a right-angle with the rod, the tip 

 may be swung down stream and in toward the bank. The 

 centre of motion is thus changed, and the fly follows a 

 new course until the time for a new cast arrives. But per- 

 haps a distinct enunciation of the object in view will not; 

 only be more easily remembered than specific directions, 

 but will be also much more elastic and adaptable to local 

 circumstances and conditions than any hard-and-fast rules. 



