FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 



then stop for a second and draw again, then, if the chub are on the look 

 out, you will see a little wave come after the fly, stop the fly when the 

 nose of the wave is close to it, count "one," "two," "three," slowly, and 

 strike gently in as straight a pull as you can, low down, sideways; this 

 is much more likely to be effective than lifting the rod straight up over 

 your head. In fishing a dry fly up stream for trout or grayling, I have often 

 missed fish after fish in a good taking rise through lifting the point of 

 the rod straight up, and so lifting the line off the water in the strike, instead 

 of pulling it sideways down through the water. Even when casting a long 

 line up stream to a fish close to your own bank it is, I think, far better 

 not to lift the rod straight up and over your head in the strike, but to hold 

 the rod down over the river, horizontally pointing it at a spot about a yard 

 to the left of the fish (if you are on the right bank looking up stream), 

 then draw the slack in through the rings with the left hand, and if he 

 takes your fly as it sails over him, send the point of the rod sideways 

 horizontally down stream, with the rod held low over the water, at 

 least as low as the level of your hand — ^if wading, it may be within a foot 

 of the surface. From experience I find this not only more likely to hook 

 the fish, but also less likely to scare him than the sudden uplift in the 

 overhead strike. 



Some anglers not only lift their rods straight up in striking, but also 

 raise their bodies from the crouching attitude, and probably put the fish 

 down as well as miss to strike it. Chub do not do well in ponds or lakes 

 in this country unless fed by a stream in which they can spawn, although 

 some continental lakes are said to contain fine ones — ^probably they breed 

 in tributaries. 



In fishing for chub where they run a good size, some pounds in weight, 

 it is well to remember that he nearly always — especially if he has seen the 

 angler — makes one good rush, and if the line is not free to run, he will 

 break even strong gut, but his mouth is very leathery, and even a small 

 trout fly gets a good hold, and, with ordinary care, he will not get away, 

 as he does not fight with his brains and try to break your line in weeds 

 and roots, and by sudden desperate jumps, like the plucky trout — ^I have 

 had Test grayling jump and fight as well and long as any trout, and Itchen 

 grayling also. "* 



In float fishing for chub I like a fly rod and Nottingham reel and fine 

 undressed silk plaited line, with a good goose quill float, a fine gut line 

 (not drawn gut, a mayfly tapered gut cast answers admirably), and a small 

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