E VI L OF USING TOO HE A VY A ROD 411 



may be on, then let him take Lo a heavier rod by 

 degrees, and he will thus be able to exactly determine 

 the length and weight which is most suitable for his 

 size and strength. 



The first instructions received by a beginner in 

 salmon-fishing require to be very carefully imparted, 

 and both pupil and teacher must be apt. I have been 

 fortunate enough to have one of my pupils succeed in 

 killing as his first fish one of 30 lb. weight. 



It is a very easy matter to learn how to kill a salmon 

 with the assistance of a good teacher. I myself gradu- 

 ated under one of the finest fishermen ever known, 

 and, acting: under his instruction, I killed the first 

 salmon I ever hooked ; and though it is many years 

 ago, and I am now an old hand at the craft, I have 

 never forgotten the simple rules he endeavoured to 

 impress on my mind as a guide for me to learn and 

 practise the art, nor can I do better than endeavour to 

 impart them in these pages for the use of others. 



To commence with, the rod should be light enough 

 for a beginner to handle and manage with perfect ease 

 and comfort. Having fitted a reel and line, etc., to it, 

 let him attach a button about the weight of an ordinary 

 salmon-fly to the end of the line, and practise casting 

 in a field where the grass is short, commencing at first 

 with some five or six yards of line, which latter may 

 be gradually increased to about ten yards. The line 

 should be cast behind him overhead, the right leg 

 being placed in advance of the left. The line must 

 be kept tight and straight, and not permitted to get 

 loose or bagged, and when it has gone out to its full 

 length, it should instantly be cast forward. The 

 position must be firm, and the body erect, the legs 



