A DAY'S FISHING. 129 



cession to the poverty of our language. Having 

 hooked a trout, the angler must try to keep him 

 out of the weeds, which are very thick on the 

 chalk stream. The application of a little judicious 

 force immediately the hook has penetrated will 

 often fetch even a big trout away from a dangerous 

 weed-bed near which he has been rising. That 

 done he can, and often must, be allowed to make a 

 rush or two, but pressure must never be relaxed ; 

 the rod must be kept well up, and the angler must 

 do his best to take him down stream and keep 

 below him at the same time. After a minute or 

 two the fight will be over, and the fish can be 

 drawn over the net and then lifted out. If, as 

 sometimes happens, he gets into weeds at once, 

 steady pressure with the rod from below will 

 usually fetch him out ; failing that, the line must 

 be taken in the hand and pulled gently, which will 

 almost always have the desired effect. Failing that 

 again, the angler can either wait patiently, keeping 

 his line taut, or give that trout up as a bad job. 



Having, as I hope, safely landed his first chalk- 

 stream trout, the young angler has either to 

 measure or weigh him to ascertain whether he be 

 retamable or no. The size-limit varies on various 

 fisheries, nin. being about the lowest usually 



enforced. One or two codes of rules that I know 



K 



