FISHING ON CRANBERRY LAKE 57 



movement of a fish, and the issue lies between strength 

 on the one hand and art on the other. A copper line 

 is a dead weight against which it is impossible for 

 a trout to contend with any dash and spirit. The 

 plea is that the fish lie deep, and heavy tackle must 

 be used to reach them. The answer is obvious. A 

 sinker can be attached to a silk line which will carry 

 the bait to any depth. The effect on the future of 

 angling is bound up with this question. A copper 

 wire is very conspicuous in the water, and although 

 it may suit its purpose at first, it will in time scare 

 the fish and drive them into cover. Silk lines are 

 dyed water-colour, and therefore less noticeable. It 

 is a well-established fact in connexion with English 

 rivers, that trout in process of time become educated 

 and fight shy of old devices, so that new methods 

 must be employed to be a match for the wary denizens 

 of the stream. 



The fish I hooked played remarkably well, and 

 although I caught no monsters,two and three pounders 

 give excellent play, and draw as much music from 

 the reel as fish in Irish loughs. There were two 

 other anglers out that afternoon who fished in their 

 own fashion, but returned with empty creels. That I 

 had fared differently was probably the usual luck of 

 angling, although I am disposed to think that the 

 method I adopted had something to do with it. 

 There is no skill in trolling, so that personal merit 

 does not count. They anchored their boat and 



