38 LANDING NETS. 



ingly inconvenient. When you have no one to 

 assist you in landing a fish, and the banks are 

 high, tire your fish out completely, and bring him 

 in close under the bank. If you cannot reach 

 him whilst holding your rod in either hand, wind 

 up tightly and put the stop on your winch. Then 

 stick the spear or spike in the ground, your rod 

 inclining backwards from the river, and sinking 

 your net behind the fish bring it tailwise under 

 him and lift him out. If you frighten your ex- 

 hausted fish by clumsy use of the net, showing it 

 to him, touching him with it, or making a noise 

 in the water with it, you may awaken in him a 

 death flurry, fatal to some portion of your tackle 

 and to your success. The generality of landing 

 nets are too small. On an average they should be 

 by one half as large every way as the largest that 

 are commonly sold in the shops. The thread 

 the meshes are made of should be stained of 

 a water colour, and if frequent immersion in 

 water should wash the dye out, they should be 

 dyed again. I have seen many a fish break away 

 through the dreadful vigour with which he has 

 been inspired by the sight of a net bleached al- 

 most white by constant exposure to sun and water. 

 In landing large fish, salmon, very heavy trout 

 and pike, you must use the gaff, that is, a large, 

 well-tempered, sharp, deeply barbed hook, fastened 

 to the end of a proper piece of wood. The best 



