TROUT. 143 



draw close upon his shoulders, and, without any delay, 

 lift him out of the water. 



The best season for jack fishing, however, is from 

 October till April, as the weather permits. 



There are three favourite modes of taking the pike, 

 each of which has been described in p. 103, et seq. 



XIV. THE TROUT. 



THIS beautiful fish is, in all respects, a favourite. It 

 affords great sport, and is a coveted delicacy at the table. 

 It is strong, game, and voracious, and requires no less 

 coolness, caution, and skill to take it, than it does to 

 take the more formidable-looking pike. The season is 

 from April to August, inclusive. Of all known modes, 

 my favourite one is by spinning a minnow, the mode of 

 doing which has been described in preceding pages. 



But something further may here be said of spinning for 

 trout, in particular.* " The first step towards success in 

 taking this fish is to study its nature and habits. For 

 want of this, many otherwise good anglers are com- 

 paratively unsuccessful when they address themselves 

 to trout-fishing, which may be looked upon as the 

 ne plus ultra of the art. Let us say a word upon this 

 subject. It is a curious fact, that the trout generally 

 inhabits deep holes and eddies, and usually feeds at 

 the distance of from fifty to a hundred yards from its 

 haunts, to which it always returns after feeding. It is 

 as regular, too, in taking its food, as the best managed 

 family; it has its meal-times, and it observes them with 



* For what follows, I am indebted to a gentleman whose 

 reputation as a Thames angler extends far and wide, but whose 

 modesty forbids my making known his name. 



