64 A TASTE OF MAINE BIRCH. 



he had not time to reel up his line, and in his extrem« 

 ity he stretched his tall form into the air and lifted 

 up his pole to an incredible neight. He checked the 

 trout before it got under the boat, but dared not come 

 down an inch, and then began his amusing further 

 elongation in reaching for his reel with one hand, 

 while he carried it ten feet into the air with the other* 

 A step-ladder would perhaps have been more welcome 

 to him just then than at any other moment during his 

 life. But the trout was saved, though my friend's but* 

 tons and suspenders suffered. 



We learned a new trick in fly-fishing here, worth 

 disclosing. It was not one day in four that the trout 

 would take the fly on the surface. When the south 

 wind w r as blowing and the clouds threatened rain, they 

 would at times, notably about three o'clock, rise hand- 

 somely. But on all other occasions it was rarely that 

 we could entice them up through the twelve or fifteen 

 feet of water. Earlier in the season they are not so 

 lazy and indifferent, but the August languor and 

 drowsiness were now upon them. So we learned by 

 a lucky accident to fish deep for them, even weighting 

 our leaders with a shot, and allowing the flies to sink 

 nearly to the bottom. After a moment's pause we 

 would draw them slowly up, and when half or two 

 thirds of the way to the top the trout would strike f 

 when the sport became lively enough. Most of our 

 fish were taken in this way. There is nothing like 

 the flash and the strike at the surface, and perhaps 

 only the need of food will ever tempt the genuine 

 angler into any more prosaic style of fishing ; but if 

 you must go below the surface, a shotted leader is the 

 best thing to use. 



Our camp-fire at night served more purposes than 



