io8 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



strain caused by the hanging up of a fly in some distant 

 obstruction, and the strong pull required to loosen it, that 

 strands of hair have broken into minute particles ; but I am 

 inclined to think that the hair used in such cases was not at 

 first of the best quality. I think there is greater ease and 

 comfort in fishing with a plaited, tapered, mixed line, well 

 made and of good material, than with either of the others. 

 The line should be bought to suit the rod ; and here is a 

 point anglers almost always lose sight of, though it is of 

 great importance. Thirty or forty yards of trout line that 

 is what they require. It may be tolerably fine, or very fine, or 

 perhaps moderately stout. Now, it may chance that the rod 

 will not throw a very fine line, being somewhat stiff, and then 

 ensues no end of poppings and crackings, as if the rod were a 

 cart whip and the trout a team of Suffolk punches ; and flies 

 go to grass, or supposing they do not go quite so far, the 

 gut at the head of the fly gets so broken and damaged that 

 the first good fish which comes at it takes it away. Perhaps, 

 to avoid the incessant popping, the angler gives a little more 

 time behind, when he makes constant and exasperating 

 acquaintance with thistles, or a more than ordinarily long 

 blade of grass, with a nice knobby unbreakable head to it, 

 up to which the fly slides and jambs as neatly as if it were 

 made for it. Mayhap, in one of these drawbacks, smash 

 goes the top of his rod just above the brazing, and this will of 

 course be well home in the ferrule, as it always is when you 

 would just as soon that it was not, and you accordingly find 

 that there is perhaps little or nothing to catch hold of to pull 

 out the fragment by. You damage a favourite grinder or so 

 in trying to twist it out with your teeth, and finally the aid 

 of science, a penknife and picker, is invoked to worm out the 

 stoppage. You are lucky indeed if the best half of the day 

 is not lost in this interesting occupation, the trout meanwhile 

 rising right under your nose, as if they knew all about it, and 

 were determined to make the best of their time ; and when 

 at last the spare top or the old one, by the assistance of a bit 

 of wet paper and some lashing, is once more set up, the rise 

 is over, and not a trout is to be seen. This is the pleasant est 

 aspect, but at the worst (and this is something awful to con- 

 template) the refractory brazing resists all efforts to release 

 it, and the angler has to put his rod over his shoulder and 

 stalk gloomily home from two or three to ten or a dozen 

 mortal miles, and all because he has neglected to suit his line 



