1 88 FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT AND GRAYLING. 



food is sufficiently tempting, they leave their cover, 

 generally rising upon the less frequented side of the 

 water, where they have still the full benefit of the weed 

 beds which intervene between them and their would- 

 be captors. It is often most tantalizing to lose one 

 fish after another in a vain attempt to keep them from 

 their weedy retreat ; the position of this between the 

 rodster and the fish, coupled with the circumstance of 

 a long line being necessary to reach the rising fish, 

 gives the latter every chance of escape, which, in fact, 

 amply accounts for the presence of the best and finest 

 fish in such quarters. In these cases an exceptional 

 course of procedure may without complication be 

 resorted to. 



Immediately a fish is hooked, line and rod must be 

 held in readiness for the first dash of the fish to the 

 weeds. The interval, as a rule, is not long, as the 

 moment they feel the hook's point, and recover from 

 their consternation, instinct prompts them to make 

 for the friendly shelter of the weeds, which, if entered, 

 the chances are the fisher loses both fish and flies, 

 with a portion of gut lash to boot. To avert this the 

 line must be hauled in as rapidly as possible by the 

 left and disengaged hand, whilst the rod's point must 

 be brought back at right angles from the water, should 

 the fish permit it. As a general rule upon all mode- 

 rately large streams these combined tactics have the 

 effect of bringing up the fish, before the right angle 

 is described, as in the case of a rod 12 feet long for 

 example, the line is shortened by 24 feet. When the 

 head of the fish is thus brought to the surface he must 



