i63 AN UNCERTAIN. RISER 



" now I have a ' tip ' for the ^ right 'fly," and 

 truly I believe that, given other things equal, 

 he would kill, not more perhaps, but as many 

 fish, using this one fly (in different sizes) only, 

 as another free to choose from the whole 

 category of so-called salmon flies. 



In trout fishing the angler can pretty well 

 judge when the fish may be expected to rise ; 

 in fact, he can see them in the act of sucking 

 in the natural insects as they float down the 

 stream and fish accordingly. But when 

 salmon show on the surface it is no indication 

 that they will rise to our fly ; indeed, it is 

 rather a bad sign than otherwise. A salmon 

 may come at any time, or he may not come at 

 all, though we know, for a fact, that he lies in 

 a certain spot, and as if to reassure us of his 

 presence, occasionally shows himself by jump- 

 ing out of the water. Perhaps after toiling 

 daily for a week we at last succeed in getting 

 a rise out of him. 



Now, in my belief, this erratic behaviour 

 can be accounted for when we come to look 

 into the creature's habits. Why does the 

 salmon ascend rivers ? And what is he doing 

 there, from the time of arrival till the breeding 

 season commences, a period covering some 

 months ? 



As we have already noted, salmon enter 



