28 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 



No fisherman ever went forth more gaily than did this 

 man of the States, and his quips regarding his lack of 

 experience with the monsters that he had heard were 

 to be caught in the English brooks greatly amused the 

 more orthodox members of the craft staying at the inn. 

 He declined the offer of a landing net, as he said that he 

 thought that by the employment of such a devastating 

 instrument he would be taking an unkind advantage of 

 any fish which patronized his efforts. 



Within a couple of hours he returned with a brace of 

 nice sea-trout, each weighing a pound and a half. So 

 elated was he that he said he would have willingly paid 

 the twenty pounds for the kit offered to him by the 

 tackle dealer, as the sport that he had enjoyed was 

 worth any money. He added that no broncho could 

 jump and rear like the two fish which had caused him 

 such a sweat, and he promised himself a real good time 

 with the hell-fire little devils when the war was won. 



I quote this incident as an answer to those who main- 

 tain that sea-trout can be taken only with expensive 

 tackle. Not unnaturally, most anglers are fond of dis- 

 playing rods and other equipment of a costly character, 

 but price alone is not the deciding factor for achieving 

 success with the sea-trout. 



To deal satisfactorily with this much-debated subject 

 concerning tackle, the better way is to divide the chapter 

 into two parts and to consider fly-work and spinning 

 separately. Each of these two classes of angling has a 

 large number of followers, while many fishers find pleasure 

 in resorting to both methods.- 



Choosing fly-fishing firstly, the most important item 

 to be taken into account is the rod. 



Some anglers are of opinion that for sea-trout and 

 grilse a stout rod of twelve feet or more in length is 

 required. If these men are content to wield a rod weigh- 



