LANDING TOOLS; HOW TO USE THEM 157 



to it." Force the battle, always. Do unto the fish 

 as the fish would do unto you, only do it first. Before 

 the rodster can use his landing-net or gaff he must 

 have exhausted the fish, so the first half of this chap- 

 ter will be devoted to a discussion of how to conduct 

 the fight, after which we will take up the discussion 

 of landing tools; however, of course more or less 

 must be said of the tools as I work along, so I ask 

 your patience if I seem somewhat prolix and repeat 

 myself now and then. Remember always, the secret 

 of successful fighting is found in the above remarks. 

 Say with rough Walt. Whitman, "I ask not good 

 fortune, I am good fortune." That wins. 



I have already briefly discussed the strike, but as 

 every ichthyic battle begins at that point, I may as 

 well "begin at the beginning," as the children say, 

 even though I repeat myself. The rod, in retrieving 

 the line, should be pointed directly at the incoming 

 lure so that the angler may strike effectively by 

 swinging the tip sharply, either to right or left as 

 conditions may demand. Right here we may as well 

 get the matter of terms clearly in mind, so far as this 

 volume is concerned. The bass "rises," the angler 

 "strikes" The bass "rises" when he comes to the 

 offered lure, the angler "strikes" when he seeks to set 

 the hook in the fish's jaws. This seems to me the 

 logical use of the two terms. 



Often, usually, the bass hooks himself, so fierce is 

 his rush, so ferocious is his attack, though there are 



