FOREST 
Vol. XCIV No, 8 

August - 1924 
Salmon Fishing With Fast Moving Flies 
Here Is an Unusual Way of Getting 
Results When Ordinary Methods Fail 
URING the winter and spring 
D of 1922 the publicity given to 
dry fly fishing for salmon was ab- 
normal. When the actual fishing sea- 
son developed the water in most rivers 
was fairly high. It was in fact the 
best all-round year in many seasons. 
Like most enthusiasts I had acquired 
much new tackle which was the fash- 
ion of the hour, only to use my older 
and tested equipment with a sense of 
deepened appreciation familiar to all 
anglers. We observed many changes 
in the river due largely to fresh- 
ets and found pools, which in 
previous years had been passed 
up, most satisfactory. In fact, 
from every point of view the fish- 
ing was most gratifying. With- 
out forethought, quite by chance, 
as it were, we recorded certain 
observations which have quite 
changed the general course of our 
fishing and made sport possible 
under conditions generally con- 
ceded to be worthless by the orthodox. 
Our custom was, of course, to anchor 
at the head of a good pool. Then by 
drops we covered all the water care- 
fully. The temperature ranged from 
48 degrees to 54 degrees at mid-day, 
and we had all the fishing we wanted. 
Now and then we would fish entirely 
through the upper water of a pool with- 
out rising a fish. On such occasions, 
however, we frequently rose a fish short 
in the lower end of the same pool. 
These salmon would rise, roll over as 
it were on the surface, and arouse in 
our hearts the particular surge of de- 
light confined exclusively to salmon 
fishing. On the second cast we felt 
reasonably sure of hooking such fish. 
As the fly swept slowly over there was 
no movement from the salmon. Again 
we would drop and cast to the very top 
of the bar. In the clear water we could 
see the salmon pass up under our canoe 
and when we reached the bar they were 
gone. 
Now it so happened that nearby 
Page 453 
By DOUGLAS WETMORE CLINCH 
the fast water pools in question were 
several deep pools which held salmon 
on all occasions. As we lunched by 
these deep pools a number of fish 
would break water. Others would play 
across the surface, skidding as it were 
in Jong jumps. The depth of these 
pools was fully thirty feet as our long- 





Fast to a good one 
est anchor rope would not hold in high 
water. At the best of times, there 
was not in this deep water sufficient 
current to body up a wet fly nor to 
impart to a dry fly that sense of mo- 
tion that is so essential to its success- 
ful use. Moreover, the temperature of 
the water was too low for the dry fly. 
HE best of these pools had been 
reserved for the morning and 
evening fishing. We had, of course, 
discovered, sometime previously, the 
difference between the light effect of 
the morning and the light effect of 
the evening. Before the sunlight fell 
on a pool we could be pretty sure of 
fish on say the south bank up to a 
certain hour in the morning. When 
the light went off the pool in the eve- 
ning we expected to find fish on the 
north bank. During the middle of the 
day, especially when the sun was high 
in the heavens, the pool was left 
strictly alone. 
Quite by habit one evening, having 
been a trout fisherman, I found myself 
stripping in a yard or so of my line. 
For some years now I have been fish- 
ing with a very light grilse cane rod 
which, properly balanced, can often be 
cast with one hand despite the double 
handle. It occurred to me that 
since the use of dry flies were im- 
possible, and the current would 
not body up a wet fly, the action 
of the fly in the water was all 
important. In other words, by 
stripping in a long line in the 
fairly still water the salmon 
might take a fast-moving fly. 
The first evening after the 
thought had occurred to me 
igerose a. fish’ short. ~ As [I 
started to draw in the line on the 
next cast the salmon rose eagerly. 
This I remember distinctly because of 
all salmon he fought the hardest of any 
which have fallen to my lot. He was 
only 22 pounds but he took us ashore 
several times, required the use of a 
second canoe to prevent fouling the 
line, twice swam around the canoe, and 
was only gaffed from the canoe after 
forty minutes of excitement. 
THE following morning we noticed 
two fish lying in toward the left 
shore. We had spent two hours in 
fishing carefully down through the 
upper water of the pool without result. 
The sun was very bright and from the 
center of the pool we had to hold the 
canoe with a paddle. Only my longest 
cast would reach, if at all. I had 
killed the salmon the evening previous 
on a Silver Doctor 6 and had taken 
most of my fish on a Wilkinson. On 
this occasion, I changed to a Wilkinson 
double 8 and hooked the nearer of the 
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