322 Pithing Localities. Chapt. xxiv. 



" doing was rewarded by landing two, of 14 lbs. and 39 lbs., bat, with 

 " his usual bad luck, lost an enormous one. He had played him fur 

 " more than half an hour up and down the deep water, when he lost him 

 '" by the hooks drawing. 



"Though, for some mysterious reason, I never had good sport in the 

 " early morning fishing, still I was up again next morning by sunrise, 

 " and we both tried the pool from the boat ; I literally did nothing — did 

 "n< it even stir a fish ; but A. landed one of 19 lbs. At 3 p. m. I went up 

 " the river and fished the head of a small pool, with a glorious stream 

 " ranning into it, close by some jutting rocks. Here I landed a 4 

 " pounder and a 22 pounder with phantom and spoon. I then tried a 

 " stream a little higher up. I suspect the water was rather too heavy — 

 " at least, I stirred nothing ; so, having given the lower stream an hour's 

 " rest, I returned to it, and put on a natural bait. I soon hooked and 

 " landed one of 14 lbs., when I put on a fresh bait, intending to have a 

 "few more casts before it got dark, it being then a quarter to six, and 

 " rather clondy. The bait had just come across the stream and was 

 "entering the backwater, when I felt a vigorous tug, and a monster 

 "rushed off down stream, with nearly 100 yards of line before I 

 " managed to stop him.* Then he tried a run up stream to nearly 

 " opposite where I was standing, then down again, then opposite me 

 "again, baton quite the further side of the river, an. I there he sulked for 

 " the best part of an hour, all of which time I was keeping a very severe 

 " pull on him. Unfortunately, I was fishing from a point of rock, and 

 "on my left hand, downstream, was what is best described as 'a long 

 " ' bay ' of dead water, 50 yards or so across, and between it and the 

 " stream was a bar, consisting of huge rocks rising to within 2 feet or 

 "3 feet of the surface, but with intervals varying from 2 feet to 6 feet 

 "between them, so that getting below the tish was quite out of the 

 "question. At last I managed to move him, ami he dashed down 

 "stream 70 or 80 yards, and sulked there. Now commenced my task. 

 " I soon found that merely keeping a steady pull (in him had no effect, 

 " especially as he was now below me. The pressure I kept on him was 

 "so great that attempting to wind up line simply caused the line tosink 

 " between the coils already on the reel ; so my only plan was to draw in 

 " an inch or so of line \\ ith my hand, and then wind it up on the reel. 



" By dint of perseverance I succeeded in getting him up to within 

 " 20 yards or so, and then not another inch could [gain ; but I managed 



" lc> rile him apparently, for oil' he rushed to the butt! 'in ill' the stream 

 ' in. Of course liy this time it was pitch dark, or else I should havo 



* Tina goi pporl in) i > l« ■:» thai 120 yards i- enough. S'ee'Winch, in 



i- Will. 



