TROUT AND ANGLING. 305 



Having thus considered the three principal va- 

 rieties, viz : the natural pond or lake-trout, the 

 river or artificial pond-trout, and the sea-trout, both 

 in salt and fresh water, as connected with the art 

 of angling, and with the exception of the first de- 

 scription, as applied to the state of Massachusetts, 

 the few remarks with which we conclude, will be 

 of a more miscellaneous character, and are such 

 as have been overlooked in our progress thus 

 far. 



The trout being a very timid fish, seldom rise 

 or take the bait, either when seeing or seen, it is 

 therefore necessary to keep out of sight as much 

 as possible. Indeed it is necessary that the angler 

 should steal upon them with the cunning of a fox ; 

 and we have a friend in our mind whose great suc- 

 cess is founded upon his observance of this rule. 

 He uses- the bait only, but always keeps at a re- 

 spectful distance from the water. 



The fly-fisher, if he has learnt the art of throw- 

 ing the fly, may proceed with less caution ; his 

 greatest delight is to overcome distance by the 

 length of line, rather than by the length of the rod. 

 Lines are generally made of an equal size from 

 one end to the other, but a better way is to make 

 them like a whip-lash, that is, larger in the mid- 

 dle than at the extremities, for this gives an im- 

 petus in casting the fly. The best rods will be 



