62 AN OPEN CREEL 



was little enough for a morning's fishing, supposing 

 the perch to be there and in the mood. 



For a time it looked as though even this meagre 

 stock would be too much. The Stop, as has been 

 said, has two arms forming a wedge upstream ; the 

 punt, tied to the top post, lay along the right arm, and 

 I fished over the posts in the V on the downstream 

 side. The worm lay on the bottom, in about six feet 

 of water. Nothing happened, so after a time I began 

 to draw it about and fish all the clear water within 

 reach not very much, because the weeds were thick 

 below in the sink-and-draw fashion attractive to 

 perch. Still nothing happened, but at last there 

 came a striped shadow just as I was about to lift the 

 worm out. I checked my hand, he had it at once, and 

 was presently lost to sight and burrowing among the 

 posts and driftweed apparently right under the punt. 

 A steady strain brought him out, but he bolted back 

 two or three times before the net could come into 

 action. At last it got him, however, an honest pounder, 

 and the worm, blown up the gut, was still intact. 



After another spell of inaction, I dropped the worm 

 in upstream of the Stop beyond the other arm, so that 

 the rod-point projected over both rows of posts. Some 

 care had to be exercised that the strongish current 

 might not sweep the hook into the posts and cause 

 disaster. Soon I felt a slow, dragging sort of bite, 

 struck, and was battling with another fish with a 

 similar taste for weeds and posts. It was some 

 minutes before I even saw it, and all I could do was 

 to hold on. The lissome fly-rod helped as it played 

 to the fish's movements, and so saved the light gut 

 from a smash. At last the fish was coaxed away from 



