NIGHT-FISHING ANTICIPATION 93 



you have to act in the dark. In which case, you do not 

 want to run a risk with an obstinate net. Sometimes a 

 net fails to sink, and a fish can be quickly lost when you 

 are endeavouring to play it into a floating net. To 

 overcome this defect, a simple remedy is to bind a few 

 strips of lead round the bottom strands of the net. This 

 weight will cause the net to sink immediately, and you 

 are therefore relieved of any anxiety. 



You are probably conversant with a particular river 

 and, in the daytime, when casting across it, you can put 

 a fly within an inch or two of the bushes on the far bank, 

 but do not imagine that you can cast with such accuracy 

 at night, or you will pay a penalty out of proportion to 

 your innocent zeal. 



Before now, strangers have joined me at night and 

 have remarked on my confidence but apparent unconcern 

 when casting. For this supposed feat no ability is 

 required, I assure you : the nonchalance is merely an 

 illusion. If you are not familiar with the trick which 

 permits of night casting with this ease, I will supply the 

 solution. 



When I am throwing over some water in daylight in 

 anticipation of covering it at night, I make false casts 

 until there is sufficient line out to reach the growth on 

 the opposite bank : that consequently is the limit of 

 line to be unwound for my casting in the dark. Then, 

 instead of using the reel, I retrieve the line by pulling it 

 in by hand and coiling it beside me. Next, at a couple 

 of inches from the reel, I tie securely a piece of worsted 

 round the line. 



At night, after a few false casts, the little knot of 

 worsted warns me to cease deploying more line, and I 

 can then throw with utter disregard of the dangerous 

 twigs on the far bank : so much therefore for suspected 

 but non-intrinsic skill. 



