128 Fly-fishing for Mahseer. CHAP. vn. 



with the point towards the fish he gets a straight pull on the line direct 

 from the reel, with no spring to ease off its suddenness, and the result 

 is in most cases a break, either of tackle or hook-hold. 



The advantages of the non-striking principle are clearly seen in 

 spinning. How often does a fish miss your bait, and if you do not 

 pull it away from him with a jerk by striking, go at it again. No 

 doubt it is hard to keep cool in the circumstances, for " it gives one 

 quite a turn " to see a big fish roll over your bait, with every appear- 

 ance of having taken it, and it is almost an instinctive act to strike. 

 But it should not be done. If he has taken it, it will be unnecessary, 

 for his weight will both hook him and tell you. If he has missed it, 

 it is quite a mistake to jerk it rudely away from him, and it will only 

 put him out. To exemplify the advantage of not striking, I may 

 mention a 6J- Ib. Mahseer coming up at my spinning bait, and turning 

 over as if he had taken it. As I did not feel him, however, I pulled 

 steadily on as if nothing had happened. He immediately turned and 

 rushed at it again. Again he missed it, and my little bait went 

 spinning demurely on, as if there was no such thing as a Mahseer in 

 the river. Round he turned and went at it the third time. The line 

 tautened, and virtue was rewarded. I felt all over just like little 

 Jack Horner felt, " what a good boy am I." The thing occurs daily, 

 and, for my part, I cannot understand why people dispute about 

 whether or not you ought to strike a salmon. It is clear to my mind 

 both that you need not, and you should not. With trout and small fish, 

 it is quite another thing. The rationale of the matter will be found 

 further discussed, however, in the Chapter on the Carnatic Carp. 



I may add, that the salmon fly has yet another redeeming point, 

 over and above those mentioned in Chapter IV. Though, 

 in my opinion, you catch fewer Mahseer with the fly than 

 spinning, still I think you have a better chance of a variety 

 of fish with the fly, than with a small fish. Other fine carps 

 more or less like the Mahseer have much smaller mouths 

 comparatively, and cannot therefore readily take the same 

 sized fish-bait, as the Mahseer. These take the fly better, 

 and as a consequence do not feed so much on fish. Bu 

 they must have a chapter to themselves. 

 Advocates of the fly also say that, in small streams, containing only 

 small Mahseer of 5 Ibs. and under, the fly is more killing than the 



