A JUMPING FISH. 51 



attempt to break his back as I did with the smaller ones ; 

 I smite him on the head, well back, with the butt end 

 of my Fly-net. Now he is dead ; notice how well this 

 Blue Quill had him. We will weigh him just over one 

 pound and a half, and in good condition. Is not his 

 shape and colouring perfect ? Are not these crimson spots 

 lovely ? We will put him with the others, but first add a 

 few more leaves of thyme as a fitting tribute to his prowess, 

 and while we fill our pipes I will give you a hint as to your 

 best action when dealing with a jumping fish. Before 

 doing so, I will just drift the Blue Quill in the water to wash 

 off the slime, and then press it with my handkerchief and 

 let it dry. 



Now as to the reason I twice lowered the point of my 

 rod when the fish jumped ; it was in order to give him a 

 slack line. 



You will often see a good fighting trout throw himself 

 out of the water in his efforts to escape. Frequently this is 

 a deliberate attempt to break the line by a blow of his tail. 

 The general practice is to drop the point of the rod 

 instantly, but I consider that this is not always the soundest 

 policy. The action of the rod must be influenced by the 

 direction in which a fish is moving when he breaks water. 

 If the fish springs straight up in the air, or in any direction 

 away from you, then lower your rod immediately. If, 

 however, as sometimes happens (it has to me on at least 

 a dozen occasions), the fish is heading more or less toward 



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