244 SALMON AND TROUT. 



succeeded in getting him there, he seemed to lose heart, and 

 gave in at once. I dare say I shall not be believed ; but the 

 average time we took to kill any fish we landed in this pool 

 was about four minutes. A fish over fifteen pounds would 

 generally beat us, for, do all we could, we could not pull him 

 into the slack water. If once he got into the rapid below, 

 down he went, and, not being able to follow him, he invariably 

 broke us. We had to resort to these tactics in most of the 

 other pools in the river we were fishing, but this was the most 

 difficult of all to land a fish in. These are, of course, exceptions 

 to the orthodox methods of playing a fish ; but they show what 

 can be done with good single gut, which was what we used. 



If a heavy fish is hooked, and makes a run down stream, 

 then suddenly takes up again, it will test the qualities of the 

 strongest casting line ; the strain on the belly of the line thus 

 made will in all probability, if the line used is a continuous 

 thick one, be fatal ; and it is under such circumstances that 

 the advantage of using a thin back line will be found out and 

 appreciated, the strain on the thin line being so much less in 

 proportion. If, however, any line stands such a test, there is 

 still great danger : for, should the fish take it into his head to 

 come down stream again, the line cannot be reeled in quickly 

 enough, and the slack will get fast in any stones, rocks, or 

 snags that may be at the bottom of the river. If the angler is 

 playing the fish from the bank, he will have little hope of 

 saving it under such circumstances ; but, should he be fishing 

 out of a boat, the chances are far greater against him, as he 

 cannot follow the fish, and is utterly powerless to help him- 

 self ; all he can do is to get in the slack line as fast as he can, 

 and, this being a very slow process, reeling in with the rod in 

 hand, the best thing he can do is to put down the rod in the 

 boat, pull in the slack with both hands, and trust to luck to 

 secure his fish. 



When playing a salmon from the bank, should the fish prove 

 more than ordinarily stubborn, and show no signs of giving in, 

 it is a good plan, if it is practicable, to coax him up stream as 



