XXXVIII 



FLOOD, SALMON, AND STARLINGS 

 1904 



" Wen salmon want a fly he take any fly damn quick. Wen he don't want 



none, no matter how many you show him, he says go to h ." Deane Sage's 



Micmac fishing guide on need for great variety of flies. " Salmon and Trout," 

 by the former. 



ONE Sunday evening, early in February, I left for Ireland and 

 seven weeks' salmon fishing a happy man. Very keen, I 

 was full of hope, even of landing a heavy fish and they run big 

 on that particular river the very next afternoon. Nothing had 

 been forgotten, all necessary tackle for fly and minnow was 

 among my baggage Jock Scotts, Galway goldfinches, Lemon 

 greys, black and blue doctors of various sizes, brown, blue, and 

 golden Devons, and lovely red prawns. But alas ! the first 

 glimpse of the Emerald Isle was through sheets of rain rain 

 which but for short intervals continued to the end of that month. 

 Water was everywhere, the river in high flood, thick, like choco- 

 late in colour, and snow in plenty lay on the mountains, which, 

 as water, would presently come down the river and be added to 

 the heavy drainage from the surrounding inundated country. 

 And how many days would therefore be required, even if 

 no rain fell in the meantime, to reduce the already swollen 

 river to fishing level, was a conundrum not pleasant to con- 

 template. 



It seemed almost hopeless, and was, indeed, most trying to a 

 keen fisherman who had nothing whatever to do but watch the 

 brown flood rush past, and the heavy rain clouds roll up and dis- 

 charge their contents in a downpour apparently never to end. 



Probably never was a glass more closely watched and tapped 



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