26 FLY FISHING AND SPINNING 



is above it. Then, by a steady lift, I have the beauty secure, 

 and carry him up the bank. 



Once more my spear is used, my rod is safe, and my 

 disengaged right hand grasps the fish below the gills, the 

 thumb and forefinger seeking the gill opening, leaving my 

 left to kill and unhook my fish. Notice how well hooked 

 he is fairly back 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 most 

 cases when he sees it coming towards him from up-stream ; 

 when, therefore, you are fishing below him, the hook, as 

 a natural consequence, is pulled into his jaw, as in this 

 case, instead of being jerked out of his mouth, as when 

 fishing above him, and this shows that the chance of 

 hooking a rising fish by the up-stream method is infinitely 

 greater than when wet fly fishing down-stream. 



It is a good fish and well above the size limit, so it will go 

 into the creel ; but how are we to kill it ? When a trout 

 exceeds half a pound the most merciful and cleanest method 

 of administering the coup de grace is to give it a smart tap 

 on the top of the head. For this purpose a " priest " is 

 usually carried. My priest forms the lower end of my small 

 fly net.* Here it is, its end conveniently protruding from 

 my creel. The fish is now hors de combat, and we can 

 take the fly out of its mouth and drop the fish into the 

 creel. 



I therefore open the file (for sharpening the points of 

 flies, etc.) contained in my knife, the end of the file being a 

 disgorger having a lancet face on the lower side ; with this 

 I lance the tongue, and by a gentle pressure of this disgorger 

 on the bend of the hook, the gut being held tight by the 

 forefinger on the file, I instantly free the hook without 

 injuring the fly by any rough pressure on the wings, etc. 



* For particulars as to fly-net, and the knife, see final chapter. 



