THE FIRST DRY-FLY DAY 77 



weed-cutting above, and it seems as if I should 

 never get a view of him. At last, keeping up 

 the strain, I see a broad tail waving, and beyond 

 it a dimly outlined form boring downwards 

 almost vertically. He bores out of sight again 

 and I seem to be powerless ; no amount of 

 strain will get his head up. We are near the 

 copse, where I can no longer follow along the 

 bank, and I look forward to a break or to a 

 cold bath in the mill-pool ; but a tremendous 

 strain, doubling up the rod, the gut near breaking- 

 point, brings him just in time into slack water 

 near my bank, where there is a shallow pool of 

 overflow water. This exhausts him at last. 

 I estimate the time at between ten minutes 

 and a quarter of an hour till he rolls over, the 

 landing-net under him, and is lifted out. The 

 fly was fast in his back fin ! The strain had 

 caused it to draw about half an inch, leaving 

 a tear behind it, and it dropped free as I took 

 the fish out of the net. He pulled the indicator 

 on the spring balance well below the two-pound 

 mark a lovely fish, in the best of condition. 

 There is always something new about dry-fly 

 angling ; never before, in fishing experience 

 covering half a century, had I foul-hooked a 

 trout by the back fin. Let me commend the 

 experience to those seeking an exciting and 

 prolonged adventure. 



