COARSE-FISHING MEMORIES .. 



rest followed it, and several times the shoal came quite close 

 up to the boat, appeared to watch the operations of the land- 

 ing-net with interest, and then returned to the deep water. 

 I forget the exact number of fish netted, but I know it was 

 over a dozen, running up to about 2| lb., and each capture 

 produced the phenomenon described. For fish which to the 

 native shyness of their species had added the cunning acquired 

 by education in a rough school, the proceedings were very 

 remarkable. 



Dace-fishing with the fly is a somewhat daintier business 

 than chub-fishing. A very light rod, the finest gut, and small 

 flies are necessary, and of course the fish themselves are 

 usually inconsiderable. In the Thames a dace of | lb. is a big 

 one, so nothing very thrilling in the way of battles must be 

 expected. A dace fights well for its small size, but ordinarily 

 the charm of the sport lies chiefly in the quickness of hand 

 required of the angler, in the dashing brilliance of the rises, 

 and in the aesthetic pleasure of the heap of silver which rewards 

 the eye when the catch is surveyed. You can have your am- 

 bitions of course, as in other fishing, but it will be a notable 

 catch of Thames dace which averages ten inches in length 

 per fish. 



A different kind of dace fishing may be enjoyed on some 

 rivers where the fish reach a greater size. The principal chalk 

 streams hold big dace, and there a dry fly will sometimes pro- 

 duce remarkable catches. The Kennet, from Hungerford 

 downwards, is the finest dace river I know, and there fish 

 weighing i lb. are not infrequently caught. I have had several 



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