Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 149 



ure of one whicli is the successful result of such a con- 

 test, since the angler may regard it as due to his own 

 skill, and as unalloyed by any mere fluke of fortune. 

 Should, however, half or three quarters of an hour be thus 

 spent in vain, — oflEering each fly but once, and every time 

 with an interval of rest between, — he may as well give it 

 up and fish the pool down to its end. Then, if nothing 

 has been taken, and after the lapse of an hour or so, if 

 the old locality be approached with the greatest caution, 

 a different issue will often result. 



Sometimes a wake like that of a steamboat will follow 

 the fly, though no fish be visible. It is a sure indication 

 of the presence of a salmon, and a quite reliable symptom 

 from which to infer its state of mind. Either the fly is 

 too large, or too conspicuous, or the fish has seen the 

 angler or his rod. In any event, it is safe to conclude 

 that mistrust governs its conduct. Then let the angler 

 sit if he has been standing, change his fly to a smaller 

 one of the same kind, cast in the direction and with the 

 same length of line as before, and work his rod as near 

 the water as is conveniently possible. It is not always 

 easy to induce better conduct on the part of a salmon 

 which has thus misbehaved; still that it may sometimes 

 be done justifies the effort. 



Though the normal condition of the salmon is not one 

 of such chronic distrust as that of the trout, yet it will do 

 no harm to act as though such was the case, and as though 

 the rule was the exception and the exception was the 

 rule. The best fish are the most wary, and he who best 

 disguises the connection between his fly and his leader, 

 and who keeps himself and his rod most out of sight, will 

 be the most successful. 



