18 ANGLING REMINISCENCES. 



with the rest, when in the act of throwing. We 

 have heard him remark that he gained above a 

 fathom of water by this system, but we never had 

 the inclination, or perhaps the necessity, to adopt 

 it ourselves. 



The tackle of Jack Leister was of a first-rate 

 description ; he prided himself greatly upon his in- 

 genuity in fabricating flies, and he always kept an 

 excellent selection of gut. He likewise made his 

 own rods, and we have seldom handled better wands. 

 The butt-piece was generally constructed of choice 

 fir, and the upper half (for they were of the tie sort, 

 and in two parts only) fashioned of hickory wood. 

 In the grasp, they were light as a riding whip, and 

 so handy, a very infant might brandish them. They 

 managed the line as if it were wild-fire, and, over 

 an impetuous and fresh-run fish, possessed almost 

 incredible power. Their spring was at the same 

 moment strong and facile : they bent to a strug- 

 gling par, but resumed their arrowy straightness 

 with a tired salmon. 



The fly-collection of our friend Leister showed 

 him to be a disciple of the old English school. He 

 was marvellously fond of variety, and sported at 

 least fifty sorts and sizes of insects. The smallest 

 shadow of difference in the wing, dribling, or 

 hackle, was to him of the greatest consequence. He 

 had a mortal aversion to the plain brown palmer, 

 one of the most killing lures we are acquainted with, 

 and his partiality to tinsel was somewhat extrava- 



