8 THE ART OF FISHING. 



small and light one, you will make nearly as good 

 throws as if you had placed it on your elbow ; 

 but the plan is not so certain. 



These instructions cannot be considered com- 

 plete without a caution, not to be in a hurry to 

 draw the net out of the water after you shall 

 have cast it ; otherwise the fish, and especially 

 a large fish, may escape underneath the net, for 

 such fish are sure to make a plunge to the bot- 

 tom. By allowing the net to remain a minute or 

 two before commencing to draw it out of the 

 water, this allows the fish, in their efforts to es- 

 cape, time to find the tucks, and to retreat into 

 them. In drawing the net to land, let this be 

 performed gradually, and in measured manner, 

 from side to side, which helps to enclose the fish 

 in the tucks. When the net nears the bank or 

 edge of the water, it is a safer process to compress 

 the net in your right hand, beginning from the 

 top till you reach the bottom, holding the bottom 

 as close to the tucks and lead line as may be, 

 lifting the net gently out of the water, and on no 

 account with a swing or jerk, being careful also 

 to withdraw the net some ten or twelve yards 

 from the side of the river. Let the fish be taken 

 out of the net in a quiet, and gentle, and orderly 

 manner, to prevent cruelty. All the sticks, stones, 



