i'iivit. v. Advantages of a Pliable Sod. 17 



nidation between me and my tish was Interrupted, Promptly we 

 paddled above him, got him out of his arm chair mi some rock at 

 the bottom, and began conducting him, foot by foot as he gave way, 



down another division of the river away from his friendly arm 

 chair, which he hung on to like a dentist. For the firsl time I got 

 jusl a momentary glance of the commencement of a 9 ft. spinning 

 trace. It waa refreshing to see Bigns of getting better acquainted. 



But down it went again into the dark depths. Finally I landed, 

 got the boat and the natives out of the way, and alter 52 minutes 

 of good hard fighting shelved my friend. As I stooped down to 

 unhook the fish, the hook tumbled out. It had only been round 

 one ray of the tail tin all the time, and the hook had been so small 

 a one that it little more than encircled the ray at its base. Now, 

 who killed that tish ? Not I, certainly, but my springy rod. I 

 defy the best fisherman going to have killed that tish with a barge 

 pole. This, then, is one of the advantages of a springy elastic rod. 

 I know of an angler going so far as to say that with such rods he 

 did not want any barb to the hook, and preferred them without for 

 trout, as they pierced more readily. There, however, I cannot 

 follow him ; and as regards playing a fish generally, the argument is 

 equally applicable to other fish. It is with special reference to the 

 first rush that the speciality of a Mahsecr rod should be pliability, 

 elasticity, on no account rigidity. 



I have two ways of baiting. One is more troublesome than the 

 other, but it is in my opinion the more killing, so I give it first. 



Having selected your bait alive and fresh out of the bait kettle, 

 humanely kill it thoroughly with a flip or two on the back of the 

 bead, but temper your physical energies with a little discretion, so 

 as not to knock it about. 



"There is wisdom in sucking eggs," and there is a right and a 

 wrong way of killing a bait even. If you have the loach-like 

 Ophiocvpltn/ii.-i i/iahidi to deal with, as hereafter recommended, you 

 may flip away at his head for a long time without killing him, and 

 though you may half stun him, you will be horrified, when putting 

 the baiting needle through him, to find lie is still alive and kicking, 

 whereas if you give him one good squeeze in one hand so as to 



h his internal organs, he will die instantly. If he is too 

 slippery for you, a little river-side sand will boob 'jet over that 

 difficulty. 



