76 *LY FISHING. 



wi.th my flies and gut bottom, but with a good yard or two of my 

 line besides ! Did you see what an immense fish he was ? 



Old Angler. Yes I saw him, and the whole proceeding too very 

 distinctly ; and I don't at all wonder at the occurrence from your 

 striking so hard as you did then. You should have only just given 

 a gentle twitch to fasten the hook ; but you must pardon me when 

 I say that you appeared to haul away as if you had really some 

 serious design of pulling the fish's head off. 



Scholar. No, no, not quite so bad as that either : all I tried for 

 was to catch him on the ground hop as I did the one I caught just 

 before. 



Old Angler. Then let me tell you plainly I don't at all approve 

 of your ground hop system; at any rate not for this river; and 

 of this you may rest assured, that you will rarely catch a size- 

 able fish by that mode in these waters. I have indeed often known 

 it practised successfully in streams which contain nothing but 

 small fish ; and many of my West country friends always fish in 

 this way, and they tell me they catch the more by so doing ; but 

 be this as it may, the plan won't succeed here ; so if you are de- 

 sirous of securing a trout worth catching to-day, you must at once 

 make up your mind to abandon the hauling out neck and crop 

 system. 



Scholar. Well I'll do my best to obey your instructions ; but, 

 to tell you the truth, the large size of the fish here, and my over 

 anxiety to catch them, places me very much in the position of the 

 anxious cockney, who misses the partridges in thinking of the 

 bread sauce, just as I lose the trout here, from knowing the re- 

 spectable appearance they would make at table. Added to which 

 I scarcely know where to expect a rise exactly, which always takes 

 me by surprize when it occurs. 



Old Angler. Here is a spot then where I expect you'll stand a 

 fair chance of a rise, so don't be at all surprised when it happens. 

 See that large flat stone that breaks the current and causes an 

 eddy. Now into that eddy try to drop your flies as lightly as you 

 can. Ah ! there you have him. That's right, don't be too hasty. 

 Now lead him down the stream, and in this open pool you may 

 play him at your leisure. Here's a nice clear place for landing 

 him. Guide him steadily towards the bank, whilst I steal behind 

 and clap the landing net under him* we have him now, and a 

 whacker he is too ! 



