236 NOTES ON THE MONTHS FOR FLY-FISHING. 



Drake, with hollow wheaten straw body, let's have 

 him on. Now for business. Away surges the line, the 

 further extremity of which no sooner touches the 

 water than it is seized, and you have an antagonist 

 who, in the tug which immediately ensues, proves 

 worthy of your steel. The first terrific wrench he 

 gives the rod and tackle as he dashes majestically 

 away, shows him to be the tyrant of the length 

 hereabouts. Did you not courteously give to his wild 

 and indignant rush with faint reserve, the fight would 

 be brought to an abrupt conclusion, for had your 

 tackle thrice the strength it has in reality, grim force 

 would be utterly futile. Play upon him by placing a 

 heavy strain upon the rod, allow him to steal his 

 lengths heavily, and more heavily, in his frantic efforts 

 to escape, ever keeping a look-out for mischief, such 

 as sunken timber, roots, and sticks, to avoid which the 

 heaviest strain the line is capable of standing must be 

 put upon him, or he will prove victor, and will vanish 

 with his spoils, which, though they may desperately 

 encumber him, are not to be recovered ; consisting of 

 several yards of choice gut, and perhaps your last 

 artificial. Exercise, therefore, your judgment and 

 ingenuity, and his natural cunning will be put to 

 rout. Time is no especial object in a fight of this 

 description ; every waning minute is a minute gained ; 

 the heavier the fish the longer the time to be ex- 

 pended over him. According to the poundage of a 

 trout, as a rule, the sport he gives extends over an 

 equal number of minutes, though, in a case like this, 

 each seems an hour." These disjointed sentences 



