14 Tkt Maliseer. CiiArT.ii. 



fight was over, the fish was beaten, and had no longer the power 

 to bore down to the bottom. As soon as ever a fish begins to 

 splutter, the pulling upwards should cease, the point of the rod 

 should be lowered and pulled sideways, not upwards, so as to bring 

 the fish to shore without having its head out of water. Spluttering 

 is dangerous and to be discouraged, for direct communication 

 through the air means the absence of the yielding cushion which 

 the water supplies in easing off each jerk on the line ; it means, also, 

 that the fish gains the advantage of his specific gravity being 

 greater in the air than in the water. It is an ugly time when a 

 jack shakes his jaws in the air, and never is a trout so likely to get 

 off as when springing into the air. With fish that have not 

 such vices naturally it is a great mistake to help them to being 

 troublesome. No Mahseer, indeed none of the Indian carp, are up 

 to those little tricks, so never bring them to the actual surface, but 

 play them short of that till you land them. 



Briefly, then, my idea is be heavy on your fish, and be unremit- 

 ting, be prompt, scan your battle-field, and choose your ground, and 

 shape the course of events as much as you can yourself; in a 

 stream pull generally at right angles to it, in deep water pull 

 upwards, get your fish on terra forma as soon as possible, it is the 

 safest place for him. 



An extra reason for having the line as taut and straight from the 

 fish to the top of your rod as possible is that you may lesson the 

 chances of the fish folding it round a rock and cutting you. So 

 try and keep well over him till he is beaten. 



I do not believe in running down the bank. I think it is 

 resorted to much too readily, the result being that the command 

 over the line is more than half lost the while, and not nearly 

 enough steady pressure is maintained. Hold your ground and 

 hold on to your fish, and the odds are you will have him. If he 

 keeps going, and your line is coming towards the end, follow the 

 fish only at such a pace as leaves you ^t ill full master of the rod 

 and the pressure, and do not move any faster till close on the last 

 extremity. To endeavour to race your fish on a practically loose 

 line is equivalent to racing an express train. 



When the fish is tired you fee] each struggle as yon feel the 

 strides in a tired-out horse. Every heat of the tail is telegraphed 

 up the line. Before the fish was tired you seemed to have on a 



