74 FLY TZCHINO. 



obierve that I only passed my bent forefinger over the line, still 

 keeping the fish within the play of the rod, whilst you grasped the 

 line itself, thereby causing a dead strain upon it ; whatever you 

 may see me or any one else do, take my honest advice and never 

 touch your line at all whilst you believe the fish at the end of 

 it has a kick left in him. 



Scholar. But if laying hold of the line is so improper, how 

 comes it that the plate in Cotton's Supplement to Walton a high 

 authority on fly fishing represents the angler, who is playing the 

 grayling, not only as holding the line in his hand and thus raising 

 nearly two thirds of the fish above water, but the line itself has 

 actually a turn or two round the butt of the fishing rod ? 



Old Angler. For this simple reason, that though Cotton wrote 

 the text, Messrs. Wale and Nash it seems designed the plate, 

 who whatever they may have understood of the science of painting, 

 were evidently ignorant of the art of angling. Depend upon it 

 Cotton was too apt a pupil of honest Izaak to have depicted the 

 subject in the manner it is done there. Whenever, therefore, you 

 hook a grayling and consider him worth the catching, don't trust 

 to his leather mouth and dispense with your landing net, or should 

 you be without one ; tire him thoroughly out which by the way 

 it won't take you very long to do and then manage to grasp 

 him with your left hand ; but never attempt to lift him out by 

 the rod and line, as he will then by his own dead weight detach 

 the hook, and so drop off midway between land and water. If 

 you are really determined to part company with him, you can 

 adopt no better plan than to take a turn or two with your line 

 round your rod, and play the fish from, the butt with your left 

 hand, as represented in the plate to Cotton : I know of no other 

 way, except breaking your line, more likely to insure your com- 

 plete success. 



Scholar. Now this is as pretty a stickle as a man would wish to 

 throw a fly upon; I think I must at any rate get a rise here. Ah ! 

 ray little fellow, I had you out there upon the ground hop a little 

 sooner than you anticipated I imagine. 



Old Angler. Yes, and I'll recommend you to let him hop back 

 again without further loss of time, take pity pray upon his youth, 

 he is much too young to die yet, and is no fish for an angler to 

 make a meal upon. 



Scholar. But you must take it into consideration this is the 



