A GREAT FISH AND A GREATER FISHERMAN 13 
land, and there was not sufficient time to send 
for them. I knew that in the spring the fishing 
in this particular river was almost entirely by 
spinning with the minnow. I arrived at my 
destination on Monday, March 28, and had 
five days' fishing before me. There had been 
a good deal of rain before I arrived, and the river 
was both too high and too much coloured. The 
fishing on my host's beat had so far been very 
disappointing. During the preceding six weeks 
the river had been fished almost every day by 
my host and one or other of his friends ; but 
although hardly any fish had been lost, only 
five had been killed, all with the minnow, the 
largest being 29 lb. My kindly host, who is a 
past master of all things connected with salmon 
and trout fishing, fitted me up with first-class 
equipment. I had never used a Nottingham or 
Silex reel before, and it took me the greater part 
of my first day to acquire the art of tlirowing the 
minnow effectively. For the next two days I 
fished with the minnow from morning till night 
without getting a pull or seeing anything. I have 
been a keen fly-fisher all my life and have killed a 
good many salmon and many trout, and on Friday 
morning, as the river had fallen considerably, I 
