62 TROUT-FISHING FOR THE BEGINNER 



repeats the cast, taking a step or two down- 

 stream himself as he does so. The point of 

 the rod should be kept fairly high, so as to 

 ensure as little slack line as possible between 

 the rod and the flies. The current helps to 

 keep the line taut, and when a fish seizes a 

 fly, he practically hooks himself. In the 

 excitement caused by the sight of a rising 

 trout, and the " pluck " communicated to 

 the line, the beginner is nearly sure to strike 

 involuntarily and much too hard. He then 

 either pulls the fly away from the trout's 

 mouth altogether, or he sets the hook roughly 

 and the frail gut parts under the sudden strain. 

 After the loss of a few flies, however, he 

 will gradually get himself in hand, until at 

 length he is fast in a fish. If it happens to 

 be a heavy trout, the period of connexion 

 between the angler and his quarry may be 

 short, especially should the fisherman keep 

 too tight a line. Accordingly, while making 

 sure that the line is tight enough to enable 

 you to feel your fish, you should humour 

 your quarry to some extent by letting him 

 go when he makes a rush, and winding in 

 line when you get the chance. Should the 

 trout leap into the air, the rod point must 

 be momentarily lowered, otherwise the cast 

 may part. The instant, however, the fish 



