220 BY HOOK AND BY CROOK. 



" There is many a true word spoken in jest/' runs 

 the proverbj and this was a fair instance, for the manner 

 in which the fish now ploughed his way to the pooFs 

 neck left in neither of our minds any doubts as to his 

 species. The little trout-cast cut the water as he sailed 

 through the strong eddies, then, feeling the rod's con- 

 straint, he mended his pace and to our dismay ran 

 about twenty yards of line from the reel. 



Such a length had not been unwound for many a 

 day, and as we glanced down we perceived that the line 

 proper was exhausted, and we had got down to some 

 old silk-and-hair line which had been wound on the 

 reel simply as filling, to increase the size of the drum, 

 being knotted to the line proper. 



The knot travelled smoothly through the rings of the 

 butt-joint, but stuck in an upper one, and, as we could 

 not follow, down went the point of the rod and smash 

 went the cast, releasing the fish with nearly three yards 

 of gut and the same number of flies. 



Judging by the lie of the fish and the way in which 

 he headed up stream, he probably was a fresh-run one 

 we had observed jumping previously, and we regretted 

 having prematurely parted company, although we should 

 most likely have lost him when, at the finish, fetching 

 his dead weight to within net distance. 



In future, when fishing trout in a salmon river while 

 the March brown is on, we shall be provided with at 

 least 60 yards of line. 



From this episode, which may not occur once in a 



