OR WALTONIAN CHRONICLE. 95 



and as your line passes over the stream, your force 

 should increase, stopping rather suddenly,and lower- 

 ing the point of your rod a little. 



When you have a rise, give a sudden light twitch ; 

 and if you succeed in hooking your fish, your best 

 way is to walk backwards as fast as possible*, so as 

 to keep your line on the stretch, and take your fish 

 down stream. This, from the nature of the ground 

 you stand on, cannot always be done ; then you must 

 with your left hand draw up your slack line, laying 

 hold of it near the winch, and by holding it in coils, 

 you may give it out again, if the fish should be re- 

 fractory. 



Your landing net should be light, and made of 

 silk, the meshes about inch square, about 12 inches 

 over, and 18 deep ; I find a light brass ring answers 

 best, the net being whipped on with small whipcord ; 

 my net is not more than 10 inches over, and I have 

 landed many a good fish without any difficulty ; it is 

 screwed to a telescope landing net stick ; in three 

 joints, and altogether about 4 or 5 feet long; when 

 the net is off, I have a screw cap at the end, which 

 keeps it from sliding out ; this I find useful, light, and 

 portable, the thickest joint not being more than an 

 inch in diameter. 



* An excellent fly fisher, now no more, told me, that returning once 

 from Leatherhead much fatigued, he went early to bed, and in the course 

 of the night, he, in imagination, was fighting his battles over again, and 

 fancying he had hooked a good fish, he, as was his practice, began moving 

 back, and this retrograde movement was so rapid, that his wife was actually 

 driven out of bed; and when she awoke him, which was not done withou 

 tome difficulty, he was highly displeased at being interrupted in his sport. 



