244 SALMON AND TROUT. 
succeeded in getting him there, he seemed to lose heart, and 
gave in at once. I dare say I shall not be believed ; but the 
average time we took to kill any fish we landed in this pool 
was about four minutes. A fish over fifteen pounds would 
generally beat us, for, do all we could, we could not pull him 
into the slack water. If once he got into the rapid below, 
down he went, and, not being able to follow him, he invariably 
broke us. We had to resort to these tactics in most of the 
other pools in the river we were fishing, but this was the most 
difficult of ailtoland a fishin. These are, of course, exceptions 
to the orthodox methods of playing a fish ; but they show what 
can be done with good single gut, which was what we used. 
If a heavy fish is hooked, and makes a run down stream, 
then suddenly takes up again, it will test the qualities of the 
strongest casting line ; the strain on the belly of the line thus 
made will in all probability, if the line used is a continuous 
thick one, be fatal ; and it is under such circumstances that 
the advantage of using a thin back line will be found out and 
appreciated, the strain on the thin line being so much less in 
proportion. If, however, any line stands such a test, there is 
still great danger : for, should the fish take it into his head to 
come down stream again, the line cannot be reeled in quickly 
enough, and the slack will get fast in any stones, rocks, or 
snags that may be at the bottom:of the river. If the angler is 
playing the fish from the bank, he will have little hope of 
saving it under such circumstances ; but, should he be fishing 
out of a boat, the chances are far greater against him, as he 
cannot follow the fish, and is utterly powerless to help him- 
self; all he can do is to get in the slack line as fast as he can, 
and, this being a very slow process, reeling in with the rod in 
hand, the best thing he can do is to put down the rod in the 
boat, pull in the slack with both hands, and trust to luck to 
secure his fish. 
When playing a salmon from the bank, should the fish prove. 
more than ordinarily stubborn, and show no signs of giving in, 
it is a good plan, if it is practicable, to coax him up stream as 
