144 ON ANGLING WITH THE WORM. 



If you are using a common bait-hook, it is difficult 

 to know the proper time to strike. You may strike 

 before the trout has the hook in its mouth at all, or 

 you may give it so long that it may discover the 

 hook and expel it from its mouth. In either case 

 you lose the trout. A trout, when taking a worm, 

 frequently seizes the part that is up on the line and 

 quite free from the hooks, and will carry it away to 

 his lair before attempting to swallow it. A pull at 

 the line intimates that a trout has taken the worm ; 

 there is then generally an even pull and running 

 out of the line ; and when this stops, which indi- 

 cates that the trout has arrived at his starting-place, 

 the angler should strike, and in general he will 

 secure the trout. 



You will frequently observe, when you have 

 caught a trout, or even had one on for a moment, 

 that the worm is off the hooks and a considerable 

 distance up the line, sometimes past one or even 

 two knots. This shows that trout must possess 

 some extraordinary power of expelling from their 

 mouths what they find disagreeable, as it is certainly 

 the fish that does it, and not the dangling of the 

 line, or any motion of the stream or rod. 



In fishing pools, if the water is very clear and 

 low, approach carefully. In general, it will be 

 found advisable to kneel ; and, as in fly-fishing, you 

 should come to the water-side at the place where 

 you intend commencing, and should also keep on 

 the shallow side of the water. With a line a little 



