SECRETS OF THE SALMON 



the same time. From then on until dark we had 

 salmon on about all the time. Of course we 

 lost some, as we found it necessary to use the Hardy 

 dry-fly trout leaders with the small end .008-inch 

 diameter. These break at two and one-half 

 pounds pull, so there was not a very great margin 

 of safety over the pull of the rod and the reel, but 

 by careful work we landed most of the fish. My 

 son landed one forty-two inches long with a tail 

 eleven inches across. He only weighed twenty- 

 five and one-half pounds; earlier in the season this 

 fish would have weighed thirty-five pounds at 

 least. It took him down-stream half a mile or so 

 before he got it in. Twice I stopped and tried dry 

 flies without result, and several sizes of wet flies, 

 all of the same pattern; I began with No. size. 

 The guide was posted on the bank where he could 

 see the fly and the fish; the first fish came within 

 a foot or so of the fly. I then put on a No. 2 fly; 

 he said they came a little closer, about four or six 

 inches away. With No. 6 fly they came almost up 

 to the fly. With No. 8 fly I hooked one lightly in 

 the end of the nose and lost him after a little run. 

 With No. 10 fly I hooked two, both in the edge of 

 the mouth. With No. 12 fly or with my nymph 

 fly I hooked several, and all inside the mouth — 



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