Salmon differ materially, both in flavor and weight, according to the localities in which they are taken: thus, the Irish salmon seldom exceed ten or twelve pounds. At two great fisheries which I have visited, namely, Ballina and Ballinahinch, nine pounds is their average weight; whereas in Scotland, they run considerably larger. The Dart salmon is very superior to that taken in the Tamar; and the Thames is esteemed the best flavored in England.
The epicure considers, that to eat this fish in perfection, it should be dressed immediately after it has quitted its native element; it then boils quite solid, and the flakes are covered with a white substance resembling curd.
At Galway, the salmon, when taken out of the traps, in which they are caught in ascending from the river to Loch Corrib, are placed in a reservoir, through which a small stream is constantly flowing; they remain here, until a customer seeks a particular sized fish; by experience, the keeper knows the weight of each to a quarter of a pound, the required salmon is immediately gaffed, and may be seen floating in parsley and butter, within five minutes after its decease.
The bridge which crosses the river in the centre of the town, is frequently lined with persons watching the salmon, which are to be seen three or four deep in the pools below, they look like waving weeds, and remain in the same position for hours. Boats are moored about one hundred feet above the bridge, from whence sportsmen catch an occasional fish with a shrimp, impaled on a good sized hook; the tackle being necessarily fine, in consequence of the clearness of the water, some skill is required to secure the prey; the spectators from above, enter with much glee into the sport; applauding the piscator, when by patience and adroitness, he is successful, and are equally bountiful in their raillery, when for lack of these necessary qualities the fish escapes. I remember watching with great interest, the manœuvres of one of these waiters upon providence. He had hooked an unusually large fish, and played him admirably for some time; it appeared quite exhausted, and allowed itself to be guided within a few feet of the boat, the well directed gaff was ready for its deadly purpose; in another second, the fish would quiver on the barb, when in a twinkling, the promised prize darted off with renewed energy, and rushing down the river, passed beneath the centre arch, and could be seen on the other side, struggling against the stream and the steady line of his opponent; the man holding in his right hand his trusty rod, slipped with his left, the rope which kept his boat in her position, which quickly followed in the fish’s wake, when as a last effort, the salmon doubled upon its pursuer, and darted through the second arch from that which the boat had just entered; the line came of course in contact with the pier, the fish gave one desperate plunge, the next moment the line floated lightly on the surface of the water. The man cast his rod in anger on the bottom of his boat, looked daggers at the laughing crowd above, and quitted the scene of his disappointment, to seek better fortune elsewhere.
The capture of a large fish, is a fatiguing operation, and requires the utmost skill and patience; one jerk—one diverted look—the least slackening of the line—and your labor is lost. The following are a few instances of well requited proficiency. Although I cannot hold out much promise of similar good fortune in the present day, as salmon are now rarely taken, even in nets of equal size, it may be satisfactory to the aspirant to know, that the largest fish do not necessarily afford the best sport; they are apt to turn sulky and will lay doggedly at the bottom of a pool, endeavouring to cut the line, by grating it against a rock, or other hard substance with the nose; when this occurs, throw gravel or small stones over the spot, where the fish is thus engaged, and it will try some other expedient.
In the Thames, on the 3rd October, 1812, Mr. G. Marshall, of Brewer Street, London, caught and killed a salmon with a single gut, that weighed twenty-one pounds, four ounces.
Sir H. Davy, used occasionally to visit the Tweed. Upon one occasion, he killed a salmon, that weighed forty-two pounds.
Mr. Lascelles, in his letters on sporting, says, “The largest salmon I ever knew taken with a fly in Scotland, weighed fifty-four pounds and a half.”