94 MINNOW TROLLING. 



the rule he laid down, when I had done this, he kindly took the 

 rod and tackling in his hands, and setting to rights a blunder or two 

 I had made, he cast the bait into a pool close at hand to see if it 

 would spin properly, when at the very first throw as he was draw- 

 ing it across the stream a fine trout made a bold dash towards it, 

 but he caught a sight of us, as we were standing close to the edge 

 of the bank not expecting to move a fish there, and turned back 

 short without touching it. 



This however gave me confidence, and showed me how attrac- 

 tive a bait it was, yet knowing it was useless to expect another 

 run in this pool after so completely showing ourselves, my friend 

 having resigned the rod into my hands I proceeded to a tempting 

 hole a few yards below, where a rippling stickle over a shallow bed 

 of gravel empted itself suddenly into a deep pool. I possessed 

 sufficient tact to throw just into the eddy by the opposite bank so 

 as to bring my minnow across stream in the underset caused by 

 the swift current running at once from a shallow into deep water, 

 and ere I had drawn it a couple of yards a fierce tearing succession 

 of tugs, accompanied by the bright flashes from the sides of the 

 noble fish told me that so far I was successful, though the issue 

 was for some time a doubtful one, as it was a most powerful fish 

 and a very cunning one wherewithal, making several desperate 

 struggles and trying to get me foul of the weeds at the bottom ; but 

 after many fiercer tugs and struggles, by the assistance of my wor- 

 thy comrade, I at last succeeded in landing him, and a noble fish 

 he was, weighing something between three or four pounds/for we 

 weighed him on the steelyards that very evening. It was cer- 

 tainly rather singular that I should have met with this extraordi- 

 nary piece of good fortune the very first cast I ever made in 

 minnow spinning, and from what I had before seen of a trout 

 dashing at the bait in an open place whilst we were standing"open- 

 ly on the very edge, I began to imagine that at last I had discovered 

 a lure that was infallible, and I even went so far as to puzzle my 

 brains as to the means we should find for carrying home all the 

 fish I had then fully made up my mind to make my own before the 

 day was over ; but I soon found my expectations were far too san- 

 guine, and that here I had reckoned without mine host, for the day 

 shortly after turning out bright, I toiled away for several hours 

 without moving another fish, nor was my comrade, though an ex- 

 perienced angler one whit more fortunate. At length towards the 



