LANDING NET. 11 



be of lance wood. The twine should be very 

 coarse, and very close, that the hooks may not 

 penetrate it when you are landing your fish. 



The diameter of the meshes should be an inch 

 and a half, and the depth of the net eighteen 

 inches. If your twine were fine, and the meshes 

 small, your snap hooks would get so entangled by 

 the struggles of your captured fish that you would 

 have great difficulty in undoing them lose much 

 time, and often to the destruction of your net ; for 

 fine twine will not long endure the twisting of a 

 large and powerful pike. 



Should you be fishing without a servant or 

 boy to carry your "traps," I recommend the fol- 

 lowing method to carry your landing net. Have 

 two rings on the staff, one about three inches 

 from the hoop, and the other about two feet 

 below it. Through these rings run a strap, suffi- 

 ciently long to pass over your shoulder, under 

 your arm, to button slightly in front, that you may 

 in an instant (when you have a bite) loosen the 

 strap with your right hand, which will cause the net 

 to fall on the ground ; and the strap, if the rings 

 be not too small, may be instantaneously drawn 

 out, and you will have your net free and ready. 

 Some persons adopt the plan of having a small 

 spear at the bottom of the rod, to enable them to 



