78 TROUT-FISHING IN BROOKS 



they are inclined to take worms, which is by no 

 means always the case, the novice will do well to 

 pay attention to the following, assuming that he 

 has adopted my suggestions as to the manner of 

 casting and manoeuvring his bait. Ordinarily 

 speaking, the first indication of a bite will be the 

 sudden stoppage of the descending gut, and its 

 movement a very little up or across stream, 

 accompanied by a faint twitching or feeling of 

 life at the end. Both this stoppage and the 

 slight electric touch are sometimes absent, but, 

 as a rule, they will be in evidence. Upon this, 

 realising that he had a bite, the young hand would 

 be likely, from nervous excitement and anxiety, 

 to attempt to yank out the fish, always a most 

 objectionable practice, for your gentlest biter 

 may be the fish of the day, and if the hooks are 

 not dragged out, or perhaps a slight hold broken, 

 a smash-up is the probable result. The expert 

 never does this. Immediately upon the gut 

 stoppage and touch, he lowers the point of his rod 

 and pushes it towards the biting fish, whose 

 movements (if any) he follows with the rod and a 

 slack line for six seconds at least. He then 

 strikes, sharply, though not violently, with 

 lowered rod in the downstream direction wherever 

 that is possible. For if at first the trout felt any 



