124 A SCOTTISH FLY-FISHER 



to the conduct of the boat, the fisherman himself should 

 wield the net. 



The method is, perhaps, quite as good as that first 

 suggested ; it permits the angler to search the water 

 just as thoroughly, and it imposes a lighter tax upon 

 his energies. It demands from the gillie, however, 

 a closer attention to his duties ; in the one case he 

 has but to remain passive, and the boat, under the 

 influence of the wind, drifts back over water already 

 exhausted, while in the other he must exert himself to 

 prevent the boat from trespassing on water still unfished. 



When a fish is hooked from a boat disposed in the 

 orthodox position, it is the custom to lead it round to 

 windward before bringing it to the net. Though the 

 manoeuvre is greatly facilitated by the down-wind 

 course of the boat, it does not invariably succeed. In 

 the case of a small fish, failure is of little moment, but 

 in that of one large enough to demand consideration, 

 the angler need not be surprised should the encounter 

 end in favour of his quarry ; the boat drifts over the 

 trout, concealing it from view, and increasing consider- 

 ably the difficulty of accomplishing its subjection. 

 While the trout is to leeward, it and the boat are not 

 easily kept apart ; when their relative positions are 

 reversed, the strain on the line — due on the one hand to 



