50 THE SCIENCE OF DRY FLY FISHING. 



so I shall hit that grass above him with my fly, and let 

 it fall into the water and float down quite close to 

 the edge. See, I have done so, and there it comes, now 

 sailing outward with a little sweep, and now siding quite 

 close in to the bank and almost stationary. There, what did 

 I tell you ! I have him, and this time I am into a good fish. 

 My word ! Did you see him jump and notice how I dropped 

 the point of my rod ? There he goes again. What a fighter ! 

 Now he is going for those weeds down stream. I check him, 

 see the tug ? He has the stream to help him, but I must hold 

 him, for if he gets into the weeds we shall lose him to a 

 certainty. I have beaten him I think. No, not I ; look 

 how he clears the water and goes again to the bank; he's 

 all right there, for you can see that the bottom is gravel 

 and there are no weeds or snags. Now to get in a little 

 line. Steady does it. No, he is off again down to the weeds. 

 How the reel screams, and the rod, look at it, bent nearly 

 double. I have still all my work to do to keep him from 

 those weeds. Ah! he is beaten at last, and now I can 

 get some of the line in on the reel as I go down stream 

 to get close to him. A little more, that's it, now take 

 this landing net, crouch down, as much out of sight as you 

 can, and hold the net slanting well in the water, between 

 the trout and myself. I shall draw him over and into it, 

 and when I say lift, do so with both hands. Lift ! Well 

 done ! Now bring him up the bank and let's have a look 

 at him. What a beauty ! He is rather big, so I will not 



