344 THE ANGLER S GUIDE. M 



Struggles or pulls hard, give line freely, wind it up 

 again, and so continue to act until the Fish is so ex- 

 hausted as to suffer itself to be drawn without resis- 

 tance, then you may venture to bring it to the land- 

 ing-net : here, again, they generally make a violent 

 plunge, on first seeing the net ; if so, give line again 

 and play him a little longer ; and again bring him to 

 the net ; this course must be pursued until the Fish 

 suffers itself to be quietly netted : if you are without 

 a landing-net or hook, you must take the Fish to a 

 shallow inlet or level shore. More Fish are lost after i^ 

 being fairly hooked, for want of skill or patience in ^' 

 the Angler, than by any other means ; for, if a very * 

 heavy Fish be hooked with a small hook and fine „^ 

 tackle, by giving line, when he pulls strong, instead m 

 of pulling against him, the largest Fish may be 

 killed with such fine tackle as would break with a 

 Fish of a pound weight, if attempted to be weighed 

 or lifted out immediately it is hooked. 



After a day's fishing, make it a rule to examine 

 your tackle, particularly the lines and hooks, as some 

 part of the line may, probably, be chafed and weakened 

 by rubbing against strong weeds, the shelves under 

 the banks, or other causes : take out any defective 

 part and replace it by a new length ; never put by 

 your running or trolling lines until they are dry, but 

 dry them before you wind up your winch, if possible ; 

 if not, soon as at home, draw them off and dry them 

 leisurely before you again wind them on the winchj also 

 see that the hooks you have used are still sharp, and 



