166 LANDING A FISH. 



mand over your own faculties without exer- 

 cising patience, ingenuity, cunning of hand and of 

 mind ; that you have been putting in practice the 

 good old advice, suaviter in modo ; and that you 

 have just proved that, in almost all contentions 

 for mastery, c an ounce of oil goes farther than a 

 pound of vinegar.' " * The folly of attempting to 

 play a large fish against the stream must be at 

 once apparent. The resistance of a swift current 

 is alone sufficient to tear a small hook from the 

 firmest hold in the tender mouth of a trout ; then 

 the weeds present themselves, and they are never 

 backward in offering their powerful opposition. 



We should have mentioned before, that even 

 with a net with which to land the fish, the 

 greatest care and caution must be exercised, for 

 nothing, after the person who uses it, will frighten 

 the fish more than a net improperly used. Never 

 bring the net in front of the, fish, however quiet 

 he may appear, but sink it behind him, and 

 passing it slowly under, dip him gently out. If 

 without a net, and you find it difficult to bring 

 the fish to your hand, make the water muddy, 

 and, cuttle-fish like, take advantage of its 

 obscurity to seize your unsuspecting victim. 



* Shipley and Fitzgibbon. 



