BOAT FISHING 83 



he cannot follow the boat, but has to let her gradually 

 down by a rope, leaving the outer oar reversed on 

 the thole pin to steer automatically. Hopefully and 

 carefully I cast my fly right under the rock, working 

 it right round until it was opposite the boat, as even 

 there the water was plenty deep enough for a fish to 

 rise, and before very long a sudden check of the line 

 told me that I was into the first fish of the season, 

 although not even a boil broke the surface of the water. 

 I cannot, I regret to say, truthfully record any 

 very exciting incident in the playing of this particular 

 fish. He behaved in a most gentlemanly manner. 

 He did not sulk, but his runs were short and demure, 

 and long before he was the least tired I had guided 

 him down the stream into the deep still backwater, 

 where he spent most of the few remaining minutes of 

 his existence. He did not jump, and my companion 

 suggested that he was only a small one, but I drew a 

 different augury from the strain on the rod and the 

 fact that he never showed himself, and felt sure that 

 he was at least a moderate sized fish ; and soon his runs 

 became shorter and shorter, and as he broke the surface 

 we could see that I was right. And now Elliott put 

 his large circular landing net into the water; but 

 as I guided the fish into it, he made his first really 

 disagreeable plunge, and shot out into the pool, taking 



