THE GAFF. 41 



almost white by constant exposure to sun and 

 water. 



In landing large fish, salmon, very heavy trout 

 and pike, you may use the gaff, that is, a large, 

 well-tempered, sharp, deeply-barbed hook fastened 

 to the end of a proper piece of wood. The best 

 place to insert your gaff-hook is beneath the gills 

 of a fish in his gasping moments. The next best 

 place is above one of the pectoral fins, by a sharp 

 stroke. When you intend to gaff your fish in the 

 breast or shoulder, put the gaff outside and be- 

 neath him, the point upwards, and if possible 

 towards you. Then strike sufficiently strong to 

 make the barb penetrate far beyond the skin, and 

 then, if you cannot land him, he must be very 

 strong, or you must be very weak, or something 

 for angling purposes much worse. Eemember 

 this caution : never fly-fish without a landing-net 

 or gaff. 



In playing and landing a fish, do so with your 

 winch and the rings of your rod pointing up- 

 wards. In England, people throw the line, strike, 

 play, and land a fish with winch and rings under 

 the rod. They do wrong. When the rings point 

 to the water as you play a fish, there is too much 

 strain upon them ; taking it off the rod, wearing 

 out the line by friction against the rings, and not 

 letting it run freely through them, as it would 

 along the rod if they pointed upwards. In casting 



