236 SALMON AND TROUT. 
a heap for yards before it begins to fish, the disadvantages of 
which I have already stated. I have seen many salmon fisher- 
men having taken a downward step and made their cast, take 
one or two more steps forward, without being apparently aware 
of it. This is one instance of the bad habits a young fisherman 
may get into, and which he may never be able to break him- 
self of. These are small things in themselves, but, nevertheless, 
are apt to mar his sport to a degree he is quite unaware of. 
When a fish rises to a fly, it is best to wait about thirty 
seconds before throwing over him again, and the angler should 
remain stationary and shorten his line a yard or so, by pulling 
it through the rings of the rod, and not by winding it up with 
the reel. He should then commence throwing over the fish 
again with the shortened line, letting out the slack until the 
exact length is cast which rose the fish. If he does not rise 
him again, a smaller fly may be tried of the same pattern, and, if 
needs be, one of another pattern. If this should prove unsuc- 
cessful, the fish may be left alone for a quarter of an hour or 
twenty minutes, the angler continuing to fish the pool down and 
returning to try his luck again in about that time. He should 
first, however, in case he is fishing from a bank, make a mark 
with his heel on the spot where he stood when the fish rose, 
or, if wading, take some bearings by which he may recover the 
place where he was standing. He should then try the fly that 
rose the fish in the first instance, and if he is not successful 
after one change, he may leave the fish for good. 
If, when fishing a pool, several fish rise, but the majority of 
them are only pricked and not hooked, it may be taken for 
granted the fly is too large, and the pool should be fished over 
again with a smaller one. It may be that the colour of the fly 
is not suitable to the state of the sky, or that it is too easily 
seen, and has made the fish somewhat shy. If this should be 
the opinion of the angler, he can change his fly for one of 
another colour. This is, however, all guess-work, and nothing 
but long experience will be able to give any aid under such 
circumstances. ; 
