NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. 457 



trout-fisher to its use. In playing trout when hooked, 

 much depends upon their size ; if small, they may be land- 

 ed immediately ; but if above half or three-quarters of a 

 pound, according to the fineness of the tackle, and the 

 gameness of the fish of that locality, it js necessary to 

 yield to his powers for a time, and to give him line for 

 running ; always taking care not to give him so much lib- 

 erty as to enable him to reach adjacent weeds, or to 

 rub his nose against the ground, and thus, in either way, 

 get rid of his hook. When tolerably exhausted, by 

 advancing the butt of the rod, and so using its flexibility 

 as a safety-spring, the reel may be gradually wound up 

 until the fish is brought near enough to be dropped quietly 

 into the landing-net, after which it may be considered 

 secure. But whoever has charge of the net, must keep 

 well out of sight of the hooked fish until he is effectually 

 exhausted, or he will be sure to make fresh struggles, and 

 often to such an extent as to cause his loss. The fly may 

 easily be cut out of the lip with a penknife, and is gener- 

 ally none the worse for the service it has performed. 



Sea and lake-trout, when they take the fly, are to be 

 managed in the same way as salmon, whose size and 

 strength they approach much more nearly than those of 

 the common trout. 



SALMON-FISHING. 



For the salmon, tackle must be employed of a descrip- 

 tion much stronger than that used for trout ; in principle, 

 however, it is nearly similar ; and a salmon-rod with its 

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