Notes and Sport of a Dry-Fly Ptirixl. 161 



grayling ; but both species were less than the 

 regulation size, and were carefully put back. They 

 were all taken from the broad water in front of 

 " the plantation." Beyond there the river is even 

 broader, and towards the unreachable east bank 

 shallow ; but under the near bank, which is a wide 

 bend, there are deep holes, from which goodly trout 

 come forth when on a lly repast. About 2.30 p.m. 

 a fortunate cast over one of these resulted in my 

 hooking and playing one for a minute or two and 

 drawing him to net, but he was a long, heavy fish, 

 and, balanced on the hoop of the net, slipped off 

 it at the critical moment, and took another wild turn 

 down stream for liberty. But the hook held, and 

 the bending rod seemed to be tiring him out, as he 

 was gradually brought back, when suddenly he 

 sprang out of water, and, before I durst attempt to 

 stop him, bolted into a green rush bed and entangled 

 at the roots. After consideration of what was best 

 to be done in this emergency, the line was lightly 

 pulled by hand and the fish drawn forth, much to 

 my satisfaction. At that instant the hook gave 

 way, and artful Sal mo fario had won the battle. 

 Then I remembered that on tying that hook to the 

 end of my cast I noticed that a portion of the 

 hackle feathers of the fly covered the back of the 

 eye of the hook (which, as I could not cut away, I 

 knotted over) hence, perhaps, why it slipped ; so 



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