248 WILD LIFE AND THE CAMERA 



are restricted to a certain two or three weeks, don't 

 plan to go to any one river until you haA'^e ascer- 

 tained from reliable sources that that is the time 

 when the fishing is good. Don't waste valuable 

 time on a river waiting for the fish to come, but go 

 where they are. If when you get there you find 

 the pools full of fish that will not rise to the fly, do 

 not be disappointed, for such experiences are by 

 no means uncommon, and you will often strike an 

 " oflf " day. No fish is more aggravatingly capricious 

 than the salmon, both as to the time when it suits 

 his lordship to rise and to the kind and size of fly 

 he will deign to notice. Generally speaking, four 

 or five of the standard flies will answer all purposes, 

 especially if you have them in several sizes. Of 

 these the Jock Scott, silver doctor, Durham 

 ranger, fiery brown, and the fairy may be said to be 

 the standard flies for Newfoundland. No. 8 is the 

 size which will probably be found most useful. 

 Nos. 4, 6, and 10 are also good at times, and occa- 

 sionally a very large size will prove a fascinating 

 lure. No rule can possibly be laid down, for rules as 

 to flies for salmonfishing are hke those of the English 

 language "mostly composed of exceptions." One 

 day you flatter yourself that you have at last found 

 the combination, only to be sure the next day that 

 you haven't. After keeping track of the number of 

 rises we had to each pattern of fly last summer we 

 were absolutely unable to say which was the best 

 under any particular condition. In one river the 

 famous Jock Scott seemed by far the best, in 

 another it would be the silver doctor ; while, 

 perhaps, had we visited these same rivers a week or 



