MEMORIES OF EARLY DAYS 253 



by the stopping or the trembling of the line, that 

 the worm has been taken, and then strike sharply 

 but not violently. If the trout is very small it 

 may be lifted out at once, but if it is four ounces* 

 weight or heavier it is safer to let it do some 

 splashing and struggling in the water, to wait till 

 it is still, and then to lift it out with an even 

 movement, quickly but without any sudden jerk. 

 If there is a clear space without branches or bushes 

 in the way, this can be done without the trout 

 struggling in the air. It is always unsafe to lift 

 a fish which is in the act of struggling, for the 

 jerks of the fish, added to the dead weight of its 

 body in the air, greatly increase the risk either of 

 the line breaking or of the hooks coming out. 

 If the trout exceeds six ounces, I play it with as 

 much respect as if it were a salmon, and choose 

 a shallow landing-place, and draw it on to that 

 without lifting it at all. The feeling of losing a 

 trout in the air is familiar to burn anglers. The 

 fish falls back into the water with a splash, the 

 line flies up into the air, often becoming hope- 

 lessly entangled in a tree ; and before it is extri- 

 cated the angler has frightened all the other fish 

 in the pool, and is convinced that the trout and 



