The angler's vade mecum, or, A compendious, yet full, discourse of angling discovering the aptest methods and ways ... for the catching all manner of fresh-water fish ... : together with a brief discourse of fish ponds, and not only the easiest but most palatable ways of dressing all sorts of fish ... / by a lover of angling.

CHAP. XI. Observations on the Salmon.

Nature, Season, and Spawning time.

1. THE Salmon is called the King of fresh water Fish, breeds in Rivers relating to the Sea; yet so high as admits of no Tincture of it; they Spawn in the end of August or September, having delighted him∣self all the Summer in the fresh water (into which he comes at Spring,) in October he re∣turns to the Sea, where he lives till Spring, and grows exceeding large, but in the fresh water he only grows fat in the Summer, and if a∣bout Michaelmas he chance to be stopt by Flood-gates or Weirs from going to Sea, and enforced to take up his Winter quarters in the fresh water, he grows sick, lean, unseasona∣ble, kipper, insipid and tasteless; and in one year pines away and Dies. Their Age is a∣bout 10 years, and their growth is very sud∣den after they get into the Sea, as quickly as

a Gosling becomes a Goose: is about 5 months out of season after Spawning.

Haunts.

2. Salmons love large swift Rivers where it ebbeth and floweth; yet sometimes they are found in lesser Rivers high up the Country, chiefly in the latter end of the year, when they come thither to Spawn: He likewise delights in the swist and violent Streams, and the clear∣est gravelly Rivers, usually with Rocks or Weeds. He stays not long in a place (as the Trout will,) but is ambitious still to go nearer the Spring head; nor does he ly (as the Trout and many other Fish do) near the water side, or bank, or roots of Trees, but swims in the deep and broad parts of the Water, and usual∣ly in the middle and near the ground, but the small Salmon smelts commonly lye in the rough and upper part of a gentle Stream, and in the middle thereof.

Biting-time.

3. Salmons best biting time is 9 a Clock in the forenoon, and 3 in the afternoon in a clear water, and when some wind bloweth against the Stream; when struck he usually falleth to plunge and leap, but does not ordinarily en∣deavour to run to the end of the Line, as the

Trout will, young Salmons are very tender mouthed.

Baits.

4. For a great Salmon, the principal ground bait is the Dew-worm well scowred, and for the small Salmon smelt about bigness of a Trout, the Brandling and Gilt-tail are the best ground baits. They will likewise take exceeding well the Bob of both sorts, the Cod-bait and Water∣lowse, and the counterfeit Cod-bait also in clear water.

For Flyes he takes the same that the Trout generally doth, whether natural or artificial, but the natural bait he generally takes better than the artificial fly, especially by the small ones.

If you put a Cod-bait or Gentle, either na∣tural or artificial, but natural better, at point of your dub-fly hook, they will take the dub∣fly better, especially the Salmon smelt.

Flyes made for the great Salmon, are better being made with 4 wings than with 2 only, and with 6 better than with them of 4, and if behind each pair of Wings you place a different colour for the body of the Fly, it is much the better, which argues that he loves to have several Flys on the hook at once, for the Fly looketh as if it were divers Flies together.

The Wings must be made standing one be∣hind the other, whether 4 or 6, also he de∣lights

to have both body and wings of the most gaudy colour with long wings and tails: Silver twist and Gold twist are good to use in dubbing the bodies; he's caught at ground with running line or float, the bait touching, or as near the ground as possible, and sometimes he bites well lower than mid-water at ground baits. He's caught with dub fly and the Cod-bait. Clap∣bait, water-Cricket, and the counteifeit Cod∣bait at top of the water.