246 SALMON AND TROUT. 
if the latter is of a nervous temperament he will probably make 
a bungle of the business, and the fish will reap the benefit. It 
may be taken for granted that the gaffer is as keen and as 
anxious as the angler to see the fish on the bank, and does his 
best to secure him for his own reputation’s sake. Should 
he miss a chance and the fish get away, it is doubtless very 
annoying, but it is one of the disappointments the salmon 
fisher will have to put up with. 
There are few men who can gaff a fish as it should be done. 
It requires great nerve and a great deal of practice. The Nor- 
wegians are the best gaffers I ever came across, with the ex- 
ception of the Shannon men, whose dexterity is wonderful. 
To gaff a fish in deep rapid water is a more difficult thing than 
it appears to be, yet the Shannon men never miss a chance ; 
they use a gaff made of well-seasoned hazel wood, that will 
give and take with the struggles of the fish, which run to an im- 
mense size. A stiff handle to a gaff would be liable to break 
when gaffing one of these monsters in a rapid stream, besides 
being mostunwieldy. An inexperienced gaffer will generally gaffa 
fish anywhere he can put his gaff in, but an experienced man will 
bide his time and gaff the fish somewhere below the back fin, 
which will balance him as nearly as possible, and prevent his flesh 
being torn in his struggles. In landing a fish with the net similar 
precautions must be taken ; the man who has charge of the net 
should remain stationary where he thinks it probable the fish 
may be landed. The net should be held under water with a 
stone init, which will keep the meshes in their place. The angler 
must run the fish in towards the net in the same manner that 
he would when the fish was to be gaffed. If the fishis quiet he 
will generally be able to run him in at once, but should never 
attempt to do so if he commences to struggle. When the 
head and shoulders of the fish are well into the net, the netter 
should raise it sufficiently to get the whole of the body within its 
meshes ; the hoop of the net should be then lowered, the farther 
end downward, and the handle at the same time raised—thus 
forming the net into a purse from which there is no escape. The 
