50 Scotch Loch-Fishing. 



ing -net or gaff, and thence into the boat. 

 When playing a fish, never allow the line to 

 get slack, unless, indeed, when he leaps into 

 the air, then you must give him rope ; but so 

 soon as he gets into his native element, feel 

 his mouth instantly. Always play your fish 

 to windward of the boat if there is some one 

 sharing it with you, as this allows him to go 

 on casting to leeward. Of course, if you have 

 the whole boat to yourself, play your fish in 

 any way that it will be most expeditiously 

 brought to basket. The angler ought to be 

 well assured of the strength of his tackle, and 

 when he has confidence in that, he will soon 

 learn to judge of the proper strain to which it 

 may be subjected. In the case of COMMON 

 YELLOW TKOUT, averaging, as most loch trout do, 

 about three to the pound, there is no occasion 

 to put off time with any one of them ; but in 

 some lochs, such as Loch Leven, where the 

 average is fairly one pound, and where two 

 and three pounders are by no means uncom- 

 mon, some care and a little play are absolutely 

 necessary. But do not, even in such a case, 

 give him too much of his own way. We can 

 assure our readers that a three-pound Loch 



