MY FIRST SALMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 76

MY FIRST SALMON.

Looking backward some 45 years, I have still a great pride in that old salmon rod. My father had made a new one for himself, and in the long winter evenings had been pleating a line to match it. The line was made from the hair of a grey horse's tail, strengthened with single hairs of salmon gut worked into it all the way, some 70yds long, and strong enough to hold a horse. I, a boy just left school, had been promised the old rod, reel, and line complete, and I anxiously awaited the opening of the fishing season. When the day arrived I started put, but with very .poor prospects of success, a.s there had been several nights of hard frost, and the river was as clear as crystal. I had tried several places without success, and on my way up to the next I chanced to see a big fellow lying in an eddy only a few feet from the bank. I knew it was hopeless to try him with the fly. I quickly took off the cast, put on a minnow tackle with a sinker, and with my first stroke I had him by the del-sal fin. Then the fun began. He went straight across the pool. I saw him strike the opposite bank. My reel was empty, and the line snapped. I caught it before it got through the rings, and kept rolling it round my hand, the salmon meantime coming towards me. From one of the houses near by a. woman had seen me, and T heard her sing out to the others that the laddie had oh a salmon. In a few minutes they were all beside me, and as excited as myself. Mrs L holding the rod for me, I quickly tied the line to the reel again, the salmon meantime swimming about the pool with plenty of 6lack line. I soon had him in hand again, and as he did not seem inclined to leave the deep water, I ultimately got him tired out, and managed to lead hiin some 10yds or so up the burn that empties into the river. Seeing all the women on the bank, he made for the river again. A second time I had him up the burn a few yards. Mrs F seemed to think that she could stop him from finding his way back to the river. She got a handful of sand, and tried to blind him by throwing it in his eyes. Her experiment was a complete failure, as he turned tail and got into the river again. The play began anew. Ultimately a man came along driving a horse and trap, and with his assistance we soon, had the salmon on the grass. When placed on the scales he weighed 221 b. I caught many salmon after that by fair means, but 1 don't think I ever felt so much pride in landing any of them as I did with my first, which was caught illegally.—Tweedside.