Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 147 



though a volcano was ahout to burst forth; or the salmon 

 may roll like a porpoise, throwing itself more or less out 

 of water, seizing the fly as it turns, and bearing it down- 

 ward with it. I shall never forget one which rose as 

 though propelled from a gun, took my fly en route, and 

 soared through the air like an acrobat with it in its 

 mouth. Appearances are often deceitful, but at the 

 moment it seemed to my astonished eyes about ten feet 

 long, and as though it was just from a polishing-wheel. 



Any one of these demonstrations, except the, latter, 

 may occur without the fly being touched. Though it is 

 then usual to say that the salmon has missed the fly, it 

 seems to me a misuse of the term. I have too profound 

 a respect for the physical ability of the salmon to believe 

 that an earnest endeavor on its part to take the fly is 

 ever attended with failure, unless it be in very heavy 

 water. When the fly is not taken, it seems to me quite 

 safe to consider it a case of change of purpose rather 

 than an abortive effort, and to act accordingly. Then 

 work the fly in the spot where the rise occurred, drawing 

 it up stream about a foot, and allowing the current to set 

 it back, and this for about ten or twelve seconds. This 

 will sometimes act like a red rag on a bull, and tantalize 

 the fish into fresh and decisive action. But the probabil- 

 ity is that something is wrong about the fly, or that a 

 sight of the angler or his rod has done the mischief. Do 

 not then cast at it again, or reel in the line, but draw it 

 through the rings, allowing the slack to fall on the bot- 

 tom of the canoe, until the fly can be reached. Thus the 

 exact range of the fish will be preserved, which would 

 have become a matter of guesswork had the line been 

 taken in by the reel in the usual manner. Change the 



