Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-08-08
Salmon Fishing.

An old fisherman said to New York
Sun reporter: 'pd rather catch one
twenty-five pound salmon than wagon
load of any other fish that swims. What
do you think of having to chase a fish
two miles and more after you've got your
hook in it, and after you catch up with
it having to tussle with it like Greco.
Roman wrestler for an hour, maybe, be-
fore it'll throw up the spongei Well, l
had to do that last season with a salmon,
and he wasn't an extra large one, either.
The salmon rivers are all streams with
swift currents, whirling rapids and high
falls. You won't find this king of fish
in any other kind of water. 1t don't
make any difference how like railroad
train the water may run, or how steep
the falls are. the salmon goes up stream
just as fast as he does down. A salmon
will go up an almost perpendicular fall
as slick as you could slide down creased
telegraph pole.
"Did you ever see salmon take the
fyl Well, then, when your first salmon
appears to you you won't know whether
to faint or shout 'HallelujahG' The
salmon's haunt, when he is laying in
wait for prey, is in some deep, quiet
pool, where the water eddies and hest
tates, and then passes slowly on. From
the bank above this pool, or from your
canoe, you cast your fly on its surface.
Now, the beauty about salmon fishing is
that your tackle isn't much heavier than
if you were whipping some mountain
brook for trout. Your rod is elastic end
strong, and your reel must hold at least
300 feet of fine silk line. rfy drops
lightly on the surface, and if the salmon
is in the humor he goes for it at once.
Now, trout rises to fly with swoop
and whirl, and away he goes. Your
salmon darts from his hiding place in
meteor fashion also, but, before he
reaches the fly, he pauses within few
inches of it. Then the salmon rises,
opens his mouth and draws it in, and
drops back toward the bottom. That is,
when he gets himself in trouble. In
dropping down he sets the hook firmly
in his upper jaw, and then is when he
begins to get you in trouble. AS soon
as he feels the hook things begin
to boil. Away he'll go and take
100 feet of your line off your rec
before you know it. Then the chances
are that he'll take another course, per.
haps straight toward you, and ther
you've got to work to take up that slack
line. AS soon as you draw it taut or
the reel and he feels the pull on the
hook, whiz he will come out of that
water and shoot into the air q dozer
feet, Taking header, he darts down
to the depths again, tearing this way and
that way, round and round, and keeping
your fingers busy at the reel. Then sud
denly out of the water he comes again
throwing himself high above the water
and, describing capricious arc in mid.
air, falls back into his element again,
quivering with excitement and pain, and
sparkling with spray. Finding that
these tactics fail to release him from thu
hook, the chances are that he may take
it into his head to seek another part o.
the river, and down the stream he goe!
like race-horse.
'He may lead you mile, or two miles
keeping your attendants busy at thu
oars, and yourself on the alert for am
sudden change in his maneuvreing. i
may be that, after the chase, he will have
recourse to his former tactics, and give
you lively struggle for half hour OIL
SO. By and by, however, discouraged
and exhausted, he will give up absolute
ly and allow himself to be reeled in and
gaffed. kThe whole affair has beer
science and skill against cunning ant
strength, and the former will win every
| time u