142 The American Salmon-fisherman. 



passers-by, upon which we still maintained a lien through 

 a string leading to our place of concealment. The way- 

 farer eyes the lucky find and stoops to make it his, when 

 it vanishes under his fingers in obedience to a timely 

 jerk upon the cord. Any one who has been once so 

 fooled will appreciate the feelings of the salmon when 

 treated in the same manner, and Jiiose who have not can 

 easily imagine them. The cases are exactly parallel. 



The beginner, then, should vow in the most solemn 

 manner that he will not strike, and avail himself of every 

 opportunity which the trout may offer to school himself 

 into making his resolution good. It is no easy matter to 

 overcome a habit which has become instinctive. He will 

 find that even with the promise warm upon his lips he 

 will break it; and that while blaming himself and re- 

 newing his assurances, he will repeat the offence, until he 

 is utterly ashamed of and disgusted with himself. But 

 perseverance conquers all things, this habit included. 



There is a wide divergence of opinion among salmon- 

 experts as to whether the fish should be struck or not, 

 some advocating it, while others equally skilled protest 

 against it as pernicious. But it seems to me this differ- 

 ence is apparent rather than real. Certainly no one 

 would counsel the demonstration of the trout-fisherman 

 that is, a sudden retraction of the fly at the first indica- 

 tion of the near presence of the fish. I believe just as 

 few would oppose an effort to imbed the hook after it 

 was actually in the salmon's mouth. The advocates of 

 the first method seem to address their attention to the 

 time when the salmon actually has the fly in his mouth, 

 and say "Strike by all means." The others appear to 



