TROUT HABITS; LURES AND USE 



of your fly. The novice needs also to be cautioned 

 that when using very fine leaders, as often em- 

 ployed in dry-fly angling, the "strike" should con- 

 sist of hardly more than a tightening on the line, 

 else the tackle is likely to part; even an old 

 hand may find himself reminded of this after 

 a moment of excitement in the presence of an 

 exceptionally heavy rise following a prolonged 

 period of unfruitful casting. 



Playing and Landing the Fish. Ordinarily 

 the fish when hooked is then "played" al- 

 ternately allowed to run and being reeled in a 

 bit, or anon held steady on -the taut line and 

 spring of the rod until when exhausted he is 

 finally reeled in short, brought to the surface 

 where he lies over on his side, when he is quietly 

 netted, the landing-net being cautiously sub- 

 merged well clear of him and brought slowly up 

 underneath no hasty "side-swiping" move- 

 ments. If an unusually large fish is hooked in a 

 stiff current, the angler sometimes may go 

 ashore and endeavor to get below him, before 

 completing the capture. It is this practise of 

 playing which admits of landing a fish on the 

 fine tackle that so often is essential to hooking 

 him in the first place. Sir Walter Scott has 

 pictured it neatly in some verses on salmon 

 fishing in his favorite Tweed 



Till watchful eye and cautious hand 

 Have led his wasted strength to land. 

 123 



