34 HOW TO TIRE YOUR FISH. 



water just tightly enough to enable you to 

 check him instantaneously as he nears some foul 

 portion of the water. As he rushes from you, 

 keep going with him, holding him gently " under 

 buckle," as they say, and at each pause he makes 

 after every rush, feel him more fully, by present- 

 ing towards him the butt-end of your rod. The 

 lower joints of your rod will then incline back- 

 wards over your shoulder, and the upper pieces 

 will be bent like the one half of a strained bow, 

 the weight of the fish being thrown on every 

 part of your tackle, and equalised according to 

 its strength, the thickest parts of course having 

 the severest strain upon them. If whilst the rod 

 is in this position you find your fish still vigorous, 

 do not press upon him by holding the butt-end of 

 your rod too much pointed forwards, but, letting it 

 fall into an easy perpendicular position, give a 

 little line and move onward with your fish. The 

 greater the length of line he drags after him 

 through the water, the sooner will he be tired. 

 Still you must take due care that the line be not 

 too long to prevent you from making it taut by a 

 turn or two of your winch at an instant's notice, 

 or by inclining your rod backwards over the 

 shoulder. After you have checked your fish a 

 few times, and you find his struggles wavering to 

 weakness, wind up and make him show himself 

 on the top of the water. If he bears this Ian- 



