SECRETS OF THE SALMON 



stage of growth of taking insects on the surface, 

 and that the adult salmon behaves in a similar 

 way, driven on by these old habits which become 

 his dominant impulse because he is cut off from 

 his regular feeding on fish, squid, etc. 



It is on this theory that I have worked in study- 

 ing the dry fly, and the remarkable results which I 

 will describe later seem to bear out my conception. 

 Dry-fly fishing seems to be regulated by the water 

 temperature and the lateness of the season. Un- 

 til the season of 1921 I had always supposed that 

 dry-fl[y fishing was better the later it was practiced; 

 but this year about August 2d I found that in some 

 places salmon would not take a dry fly when they 

 had taken it readily July 12th to 15th. This may 

 be due to the fact that this season was very ex- 

 ceptional and the fish were much further advanced 

 toward spawning than usual. In other years I 

 have always had the best of dry-fly fishing on 

 August 15th and have had excellent sport in New 

 Foundland in September. 



It has been my experience that salmon do not 

 take a dry fly well when the water is below fifty- 

 eight degrees Fahr. and begin to take it well when 

 the water is sixty degrees Fahr. The best dry- 

 fly condition is with the water sixty degrees to 



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