284 TROUT FISHING 



long enough to have no kick left in it, when you 

 return it you will have to nurse it back to life, a 

 tedious process to yourself and also probably not 

 too good for the trout. To have been half suffocated 

 cannot have a beneficial effect on any living creature. 



If you must weigh a fish, the best plan is to do so 

 in a wet duster, having previously ascertained the 

 weight of the duster. Or, of course, it would be 

 possible to construct a little weighing net with two 

 strips of wire and a piece of muslin. This would 

 be a useful thing to carry, and would take up no 

 space. The landing-net might be employed, but if 

 your spring balance only registers up to some four 

 pounds, it would in some cases prove too heavy. 

 Whatever your receptacle, it should not weigh more 

 than a few ounces. One thing, however, is certain, 

 and that is that a fish which may have to be returned 

 ought not to be attached directly to a spring balance, 

 and probably a good deal of harm has been done 

 where such a custom is in vogue. 



It is obviously better to have a length standard, 

 and either to carry a measure or have one marked 

 on the landing-net handle. The moment a fish 

 is on the grass you can measure it and decide at 

 once whether it is sizeable or not, in the latter case 

 slipping it back into the water without delay. The 

 only objection to the length standard that I can see 

 is in the case of ill-conditioned fish which do not 



