TROUT HABITS; LURES AND USE 



the artificial fly is that the quarry, not gorging 

 the bait, is not hooked in a vital part, but 

 lightly, through the lip. The angler should 

 therefore see to it that this advantage is not 

 spoiled by careless handling in the case of sur- 

 plus and undersized fish that it is intended to 

 return uninjured to the water. Such fish should 

 always be handled with wet and not dry hands, 

 to avoid rubbing off the natural protective 

 slimy coating on the skin of the fish. Once this 

 is damaged the fish becomes the prey of par- 

 asites and disease that shortly kill it. Instead 

 of grabbing the captive by the gills and squeez- 

 ing him while he struggles, the hook often can 

 be freed without lifting him entirely from the 

 water or from the net and without touching 

 him with the hands at all. 



Dapping or Dibbing. Upon occasion a large 

 trout may be caught from where he lies quietly 

 in a deep hole, by "dapping" for him. This is 

 often resorted to in some difficultly accessible 

 shaded jungle spot late in the season. It neces- 

 sitates an approach close enough so that the 

 bait, whether natural or artificial, at the end 

 of but a few feet of line and hanging downward 

 from the rod which generally is projected from 

 cover of the bank, is steadily lowered right in 

 front of the fish's nose. If he is observed to 

 be lying near the surface, a suitable natural 

 bait, such as a grasshopper, or the dry fly may 

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