CASTS AT RANDOM 171 



his work cut out for him. The best plan is not to 

 attempt to play the fish up to you but to hold him, 

 as far as can safely be ventured, where he is hooked, 

 and work down to him. If you try to drag him up- 

 stream it brings him to the surface where he will roll 

 over and over and thrash about until nine times out off 

 ten he whips himself off the hook. Once down to the 

 fish so that you do not have to handle him from above, 

 but from the side or below, lead him gradually into a 

 gentle side current. The fish should be up-stream from 

 you when you are ready to use the net. The current 

 will then bring him over the net instead of taking him 

 away from it. 



When fishing from a boat or canoe the net should 

 have a handle at least four or five feet long. Almost 

 invariably a bass that has been played in to the boat 

 will take one more run when he sees it, and unless he 

 is absolutely played to a finish he will always fight away 

 from the boat. For fish that run large, such as the 

 lake trout, a gaff should be used. Gaffing a fish should 

 be gone about in the same way as when using the net. 

 The gaff should be immersed and the fish led over it. 

 A skilful gaffer will take a fish in out of the wet with 

 one motion. 



Although some anglers advise that even when there 

 are two men in the boat, it is better for the man who is 

 playing the fish to do his own netting, it would seem 

 that it is preferable for the angler whose rod is not busy 

 to handle the net. It is much easier to lead the fish 

 within landing distance of the man who occupies the 



