228 Night-Fishing. 



advantage of the moment when his first struggle 

 is over, I lift him straight up on to the grass by 

 the gut. To take him down to the tail of the pool 

 would of course be safer, but his size may not 

 demand such caution. For a fish of 2 or 3 lb., 

 however, more consideration must be shown ; and 

 accordingly, I would have him down to a good land- 

 ing-place ere we came to closer quarters. Though 

 I might lose some time by this operation, I should 

 not cause that disturbance among the other tenants 

 of the pool which the same course of action would 

 be sure to produce if adopted during the day. 



Should no satisfactory gains fall to the small fly 

 on a cool moonlight night, or to the large fly on 

 a wet or dull one, the proceedings may be agreeably 

 diversified by an appeal to the minnow, for it may 

 suit well whether the moon appears or riot ; but the 

 happiest augury for the success of this lure is a clear 

 starry night, inclining to frost, or one in which there 

 is a heavy fall of dew. Fish it during moonlight 

 in the rough heavy streams, and in the absence of 

 the moon, both in the pools and in the streams. 



The method, given in last chapter, of baiting the 

 natural minnow on two hooks placed back to back, 

 frequently answers very well at night. If this 

 tackle be cast from the channel into deep pools, and 

 the bait allowed to lie at the bottom, the fisher will 

 often be rewarded with very large fish. Like the 



