Leaders. 131 



Upon the occasion hereinafter referred to the trout 

 averaged rather even in point of size, by far the greater 

 number ranging within half a pound one way or the 

 other of two pounds. Our largest was three pounds, 

 five ounces, while very few ran as small as one pound. 

 All were taken with the fly, the " Parmachenee Belle " 

 being the apparent favorite. A moderate current aided 

 the efforts of the struggling fish to escape. All were 

 fine, active fish. 



On the 19th they were so abundant that it was quite 

 a matter of indifference whether they escaped after 

 taking the fly or not. The idea then suddenly occurred 

 to me that no better opportunity could present itself to 

 determine by actual experiment how much a trout could 

 pull. Many, myself among the number, had theorized 

 about this, but no one, so far as I knew, had ever sub- 

 jected his theory to actual experiment. 



I was provided with a tested spring-balance graduated 

 to read to two ounces, by which a pretty accurate de- 

 termination to one ounce was possible. My first at- 

 tempts were made as follows : After fastening the fish, 

 the line was attached to the hook of the spring-balance 

 between the reel and the first ring. But it was soon 

 perceived that any result so obtained was modified by 

 the friction of the line through the rings and tip end of 

 the rod, and that by this method the object in view 

 to ascertain the amount of strain which a trout of a 

 given size could impose on a leader could be but im- 

 perfectly attained. 



The following method was then adopted and persisted 

 in: After fastening a fish the rod was at once passed 

 to the bowman of the boat, while my gaffer and I seized 

 the line beyond the tip, one holding the fish so that 



