

92 ART OF ANGLING. 



reel. But if you happen to hook a good one, 

 wind up immediately; and the moment you 

 have got him under command of a short line, 

 hold your rod well on the bend, with just pur- 

 chase enough to keep him from going under a 

 weed, or rubbing out your hook by boring his 

 nose into the gravel. After getting your fish 

 under the command of a short line and well-bent 

 rod, let him run, and walk by the side of him, 

 keeping a delicate hold of him, with just pur- 

 chase enough, as I before observed, to prevent 

 his going down. When he strikes, ease him at 

 the same instant ; and when he becomes faint, 

 pull him gently down stream ; and, as soon as 

 you have overpowered him, get his nose up to 

 the top of the water; and, when he is nearly 

 drowned, begin to tow him gently towards the 

 shore. Never attempt to lift him out of the wa- 

 ter by the line, but hawl him on to some sloping 

 place, then stick the spike of your rod in the 

 ground, with the rod a little on the bend ; crawl 

 slily up as quick as possible, and put your 

 hands under him, and not too forward, as a 

 Trout thus situated is apt to slip back ; so that 

 handling him this way must be rather a different 

 touch from that of weed-groping. If you use a 

 landing net, let it be as light as possible, very 

 long in the handle, and three times as large as 

 what people generally carry. Nothing will so 



