432 



RECREATION 



The shortest rod I have ever used for sal- 

 mon was fourteen feet six inches long, and 

 the longest eighteen feet. The little rod did 

 excellently, in fact is about the best rod I have 

 ever owned. The butt is ash, the middle and 

 top joints greenheart, and the joints are 

 ferruled. I had a short trolling tip made, 

 and used this- rod for salmon, trout, and lake 

 trout fishing indiscriminately, and it has never 

 failed me. Its weak point is its lack of cast- 

 ing power, and I could never do much with it 

 when after salmon on a wading river. Some 

 anglers prefer a twelve-foot rod for canoe 

 fishing, but I consider this too short. 



The eighteen-foot rod was simply a nui- 

 sance on any river I ever fished on this side, 

 though in Norway, and on the Cumberland 

 Eden, it did well enough. But I think I 

 should have fared at least as well with a 

 shorter and lighter rod. European rivers 

 need, however, such enormous flies, and 

 coarse leaders ("casts," they call them across 

 the pond), often of triple gut, that the rod 

 must be heavier and more powerful than is 

 necessary on a Canadian stream. 



THE LINE. 



Lines are either tapered or untapered. The- 

 oretically the latter are to be preferred, but, 

 in practice, I am convinced the untapered 

 line is equal to all requirements. It has a 

 distinct advantage in casting across the wind, 

 insomuch as it is not blown so far to lee- 

 ward as the lighter line. Some prefer a 

 double taper, the greatest diameter being 

 fifteen yards or twenty yards from the end; 

 in fact, in this, as in almost all other ques- 

 tions, you will find a difference of opinion 

 among men whose skill is undeniable, and 

 who obtain eminently satisfactory results by 

 methods and tackle that by no means agree 

 with accepted theories. The man behind the 

 rod is just as much a factor as the man be- 

 hind the gun. 



Sizes Nos. D, C and B in enameled silk 

 are those usually selected, the heavier and 

 thicker rod requiring the thicker line. 



THE REEL. 



There is not room for much difference of 

 opinion as to the reel best adapted for sal- 

 mon fishing. Strength and capacity are need- 

 ed, and these are found in the plain check 

 reel, of large diameter. If, in addition, the 

 barrel be narrow, it will give speed in wind- 

 ing, especially as the last few coils are being 

 taken up. Excellent as the multiplyer is for 

 many kinds of fishing, I much prefer a plain 

 check for salmon, and this preference is 

 shared by most experienced anglers that I 

 have known. Of course, men and good fish- 

 ermen too, will be found using multiplying 

 reels, but I fail to see the advantage they 

 gain by so doing. 



No reel is fit to go on a salmon rod unless 

 it will hold at least one hundred yards of 



braided, silk-enameled line, of a size suitable 

 to the strength of the rod. The reel general- 

 ly seen in the outfit of a veteran salmon fish- 

 erman has a diameter of four inches to four 

 and a half inches. In order to save weight, 

 they are made of German silver and hard 

 rubber and, no doubt, this combination is the 

 best for our light fishing. A heavy eighteen- 

 foot Greenheart is, however, better balanced 

 by a metal reel, and these latter reels are 

 stronger, more durable, and much lower in 

 cost, but few are sold on this side of the At- 

 lantic, as an eighteen foot rod is not needed 

 on Canadian streams. 



THE FLY. 



Much ingenuity has been misplaced in* 

 evolving patterns of salmon flies, and much 

 good paper spoiled in proving that the fish 

 take the fly because they are hungry, and also 

 in proving (equally conclusively) that they 

 do nothing of the kind, but are merely toy- 

 ing with the pretty and fascinating little thing 

 that has just appeared to them for the first 

 time. After all, what does it matter? The 

 fish certainly do take the fly, though they are, 

 unfortunately, curiously inconsistent and 

 changeable in their appetites. I believe in a 

 fair stock of patterns, but many anglers lose 

 more than they gain by overstocking their 

 books, as changing flies too often wastes a 

 lot of time. I should not be afraid to tackle 

 any Canadian River with some such collec- 

 tion as the following: 

 (i) Jack Scott, 



(2) Silver Doctor, 



(3) Black Fairy, 



(4) Durham Ranger, 

 The foregoing are a fine lot of flies for 



any river, but the fisherman should have them 

 in each size likely to be of possible use, as 

 my experience is that size is even more im- 

 portant than pattern. The extremes for Ca- 

 nadian streams are 3/0 down to No. 8 

 O'Shaughnessy. The former is only used 

 when the water is unusually turbid, and the 

 latter when the pools are low and clear, 

 usually late in the summer. I much prefer 

 the O'Shaughnessy to the Sproat, or any 

 other hook, and do not believe in double 

 hooks, excepting, perhaps, in the case of Nos. 

 6 and 8, for heavy fish. One hook of the 

 double often seems to act as a lever during 

 the sudden rushes made by a vigorous fish, to 

 force its companion's hold to give way. 

 Ringed hooks are the fashion in Scotland and 

 Ireland, and flies tied on them certainly last 

 longer than when tied on hooks with gut 

 loops, but otherwise they are not an improve- 

 ment. 



(5) Grey Monkey,. 



(6) Orange Body,. 



(7) Claret Body, 



(8) Green Body. 



Note. — In the June issue Mr. bramble will con- 

 tinue his hints on salmon fishing and will discuss 

 the leader, the gaff and waders. We regret that 

 the article, because of its importance, and interest,, 

 could not be printed entire, but lack of space pre- 

 vented. — Editor. — N 



