166 THE SCIENTIFIC ANGLER. 



captors. It is often most tantalizing to lose one fish 

 after another in a vain attempt to keep them from their 

 weedy retreat; the position of this between the rodster 

 and their fish, coupled with the circumstance of a long 

 line being necessary to reach the rising fish, gives the 

 latter every chance of escape, which, in fact, amply ac- 

 counts for the presence of the best and finest fish in such 

 quarters. In these cases an exceptional course of pro- 

 cedure may without complication be resorted to. 



Immediately a fish is hooked, line and rod must be 

 held in readiness for the first dash of the fish to the 

 weeds. The interval, as a rule, is not long, as the 

 moment they feel the hook's points, and recover from 

 their consternation, instinct prompts them to make for 

 the friendly shelter of the weeds, which, if entered, the 

 chances are the fisher loses both fish and flies, with a 

 portion of gut lash to boot. To avert this the line must 

 be hauled in as rapidly as possible by the left and disen- 

 gaged hand, whilst the rod's point must be brought 

 back at right angles from the water, should the fish per- 

 mit it. As a general rule, upon all moderately large 

 streams these combined tactics have the effect of bring- 

 ing up the fish, before the right angle is described, as in 

 the case of a rod twelve feet long for example, the line is 

 shortened by twenty-four feet. When the head of the 

 fish is thus brought to the surface he must be assiduously 

 held there, line being gradually and carefully taken in as 

 he flounders over the weed beds. A freshly hooked fish 

 will be found to force a passage by the stern or tail 

 action, when firmly held by the head, infinitely better 

 than the rodster unaided, in the case of an exhausted 

 fish, could do it for him. 



We well recollect once fishing upon the Wye (Derby- 

 shire), at Bakewell, when the main incident of the day 

 had a direct bearing upon the subject now before us, and 

 may serve as an illustration of what we have endeavored 



