CASTS AT RANDOM 169 



The man who wades enjoys absolute freedom from 

 restraint. The canoeman is bounded by the gunwales 

 of his craft. However, in the silence with which the 

 canoe makes its progress there is an advantage. If 

 care is taken in the matter of anchorage no possible 

 warning is given to the fish. Also, if the stream is a 

 large one, good places may be easily fished from the 

 canoe which might be beyond the ability of the most 

 expert fly-caster to reach when wading. In the case 

 of over-fished waters the use of a canoe, if the stream 

 has ordinarily been fished by wading, might spell the 

 difference between a light creel and a heavy one. 



When fishing a stream of this sort it may be taken 

 for granted that the most accessible spots have been 

 fished to death, and the angler who is wise and am- 

 bitious will devote himself to the more difficult places. 

 The chances are that such spots have been very little 

 fished, and possibly, in the case of some of them, not at 

 all. In many trout streams of good size there are 

 reaches of deep, swift-running water too deep to wade 

 and where the banks are so brushy as to prevent casting 

 from them. Such places are avoided by the average 

 angler, the man who wades, and the use of a canoe in 

 such waters should yield very weighty results. 



Landing Net and Gaff 



The number of game fish annually lost between the 

 water and the creel through the unskilful use or the 

 absence of a landing net or gaff probably approaches 

 closely to the amount of the entire catch. The final 

 netting or gaffing of a fish sufficiently played and ready 



