202 SALMON AND TROUT. 
numbers of salmon with a red fly, and find this colour do well 
in a big water, particularly if stained after a fresh. Although 
big, gaudy flies are only suitable for big rivers, I see no reason 
why they should not kill as well as any other pattern upon 
smaller rivers, provided they are made of a suitable size. I 
have said success greatly depends upon the size of the fly used, 
and to judge the proper size is a most important part in the art 
of salmon fishing. 
On arriving at a river’s bank the angler should carefully 
examine the pool he is about to fish, so as to ascertain the 
colour and depth of the stream, and whether it is rapid or 
smooth running. If it is deep and rapid, or stained after a 
fresh, a large-sized. fly should be used, and a smaller one in pro- 
portion as the stream is clear or shallow. The state of the sky 
must also be taken into consideration. In spring and autumn 
salmon will take much bigger flies than in the summer time. A 
fly that would be called big in summer will appear almost a 
midge in comparison to the smallest flies generally used in 
early spring or autumn. If the water, however, should be very 
low, even in spring, it will be necessary to use a very small fly, 
according to the size of the water. It is impossible to lay down 
any hard-and-fast rule for selectirig a suitable fly. The art of 
doing so is only acquired by long experience, and the best of 
us are often at our wits’ end to know what fly to select. 
When a man is seen constantly changing his fly it is certain. 
that sport is bad, and fish not on the move. It is possible, but 
very improbable, that a change of fly will change the humour 
of the fish. I have myself changed flies hundreds of times, 
but have never known it to answer when fish are sulky; a 
change, however, after a fish has risen is very often successful. 
It is a common saying that fish get tired of the sight of flies, 
and become shy by being much fished over ; but if my expe- 
rience can be taken as evidence, I rather incline to the opinion 
that it is the fisherman who gets tired of throwing his fly over 
the fish, rather than the fish that get tired of seeing it. 
I was fishing in the Lyngdal, in the south of Norway, with 
