42 THE SCIENCE OF DRY FLY FISHING. 



dangerous vicinity of the weeds. See! how he fights to get 

 back to his retreat, but it is no good. Now he is trying 

 to bore down into that dark hole ; there may be danger 

 there, so I keep him well up. I have plenty of water, and 

 firmly, and by wrist work alone, I check every rush he 

 makes, and finally bring my prize well below the unfished 

 water. My left hand is on the reel, which is bringing him 

 nearer and nearer. Watch the end of the rod ; it is well up, 

 and the bend is nearly always the same. The line must 

 never be slack after a fish is hooked, and this important 

 point is achieved by delicacy of wrist play alone. By firm- 

 ness and tact I have at last beaten him, and the line is 

 short enough to make the landing net available, so my left 

 hand leaves the reel and steals to the net; it is lifted out of 

 its ring in my fishing bag and flicked out to its full length, 

 and then, gently stooping, I bring the fish slowly towards the 

 net, which you see I hold diagonally, well under the water, 

 keeping it quite stationary until the trout is above it. 

 I then, by a steady lift, have the beauty secure and carry 

 him up the bank. (See Plate XI.) 



Once more my spear is used, and my disengaged right 

 hand grasps the fish below the gills, the thumb and fore- 

 finger seeking the gill opening, leaving my left to kill 

 and unhook my fish. Notice how well hooked he is, 

 fairly back in the mouth in the lower part of the tongue ! 

 Here again let me remind you of the advantage in the 

 dry fly method. As you now know, the fish takes the fly in 



