SALMON FISHING WITH THE FLY. 235 
rivers, and a stranger who does not conform to their ideas in 
this, as well as in the choice of flies, is put down as a ‘ duffer.’ 
‘The first time I wetted my line in the Shannon I worked the 
fly in my own way, hardly moving the point of the rod. The 
man in the stern of the boat watched me for a few minutes with 
disgust written on his face ; at last he sprang up, and before I 
knew what he was about, snatched the rod out of my hand, 
saying, ‘This is the way we fish in the Shannon, your honour,’ 
and then began to show me the see-saw method. I was rather 
taken aback, as I fancied I knew how to do it before the man 
was born. However, I had my own way, had very good sport, 
and heard no more about it from my friend in the stern of the 
boat. 
The most deadly method of fishing is to hold the point of 
the rod well down, letting the fly sink as deep as possible. If 
the fly is worked at all it should be in dead sluggish water, and 
then only by a very slow ‘up-and-down’ motion of the top of 
the rod. 
But there is no accounting for the way a salmon will some- 
times take a fly. 
A short time ago, when fishing the Usk, a friend of mine 
put down his rod on the bank to go and talk to his wife. The 
fly was left in the water, and when he returned he found to his 
surprise a fish was on, and after an exciting struggle he landed 
him ; he had been fishing that pool for hours before this 
happened. 
HOW TO FISH A POOL. 
The proper way to fish a pool is to commence at the head, 
moving down stream about one yard, or step, before each fresh 
‘cast, always taking care the old cast is completed before the 
downward step is made. This is of greater importance than 
might perhaps appear, for if the new cast is made first and the 
downward step taken afterwards, it will make all the difference 
in the working of the fly. The latter will have to travel all of 
