204 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



When the line stops in its downward career, an experienced 

 angler can for the most part tell at once whether the stoppage 

 is caused by the bite of a fish, or whether the sinkers or worm 

 have lodged in a weed, stick, or stone. There is an abruptness, 

 a tremulous motion, sometimes a slight movement of the line, 

 which tells the angler at once, without any " tug, tug," or 

 feel by the hand, that it is a fish. When you see this, drop 

 the point of the rod for a second or two, as if the fish feels 

 any restraint on the worm, he will, unless very hungry indeed, 

 at once reject it, and you will certainly lose your fish. Having 

 given a second or two, strike firmly, play boldly, and land as 

 soon as possible. 



This is what you must do if you are fishing with the large 

 single hook. If you are fishing, however, with Mr. Stewart's 

 tackle, you need give no time, as this is used for the most part 

 with light sinkers in mid-water, or at any rate clear of the 

 bottom, and the instant the line stops you strike. This is a 

 great advantage over the old plan, in which when the line 

 stopped, if you were not certain that it was a fish, you either 

 had to " feel " him or to strike at once. 



Feeling the fish is dangerous work. It consists in raising 

 the point of the rod so as to tighten the line sufficiently to 

 enable you to feel the " tug, tug, tug " made by the fish in 

 detaining the worm ; but this, as I have said, is not safe, 

 being merely the herald of a rejection of the worm, and when 

 you strike you find the fish has left you. If, on the other hand, 

 you strike at once on suspicion, one or two things may happen, 

 viz. either the fish will not have got the large hook sufficiently 

 into his mouth, or, failing in its being a fish at all, you will 

 take such fast hold of root, stick, or stone, that the greatest 

 difficulty in dislodging the hold without a breakage will 

 ensue. 



Although worm-fishing is not very clean and delicate when 

 compared with artificial fly-fishing, it requires no little skill, 

 and the fish has many more chances in his favour, particularly 

 when the single hook is used, than the angler who is unac- 

 quainted with it would be disposed to imagine, for the moder- 

 ately skilful angler will certainly not kill one fish for every two 

 bites which he gets, and often not for every three, even when 

 the fish are inclined to take worm, which is not every day ; 

 while the unskilful angler will feel tug after tug, and, unless 

 the fish are savagely hungry, will not kill one in six. I am of 

 course speaking of localities where the trout are accustomed 



