LANDING NETS. 85 



ages occur, and is superior to the plan sometimes adopted of 

 putting the inside ferrule on flush with the wood. 



Amongst these several rod fastenings the fly-fisher can 

 easily choose for himself. Any one of them will be found in 

 practice immeasurably more convenient than the old-fashioned 

 unfixed double ferrule or even, perhaps, for the ordinary run 

 of fly-fishers, than the spliced joint, though the latter gives the 

 most perfect play to the rod when once adjusted. 



If, by the way, the rod joint should become stuck in the 

 ferrule, the best and, indeed, the only means that I know of for 

 separating it, is to turn it slowly in the flame of a candle at 

 the ' sticking point,' when the swelling of the outside ferrule 

 produced by the heat will generally enable a separation to be 

 effected without damage to anything beyond the rod varnish. 

 A little grease rubbed on to the ends of the joints before starting 

 will, especially if the joint be not ' double brazed ' — i.e. covered 

 with brass as to the lowest part of the plug — often anticipate 

 *■ lesions ' of this kind, and prevention is better than cure. 



Quitting now the subject of rods, reels, lines, and hooks — 

 the apparatus, that is, destined for hooking and playing a fish — 

 the next and by no means unimportant question, is how to 

 land him. 



For all fish of the trout and salmon species up to three or 

 four pounds in weight a net will be found the most convenient 

 and serviceable implement for this purpose — the province of 

 the gaff" coming in only in the case of larger and heavier fish. 

 I will not here enter into the vexed questions of net or gaff on 

 salmon rivers, although there is no doubt that nets can be 

 made large enough and strong enough to ' bag ' the largest 

 salmon that ever took a fly, and to do all the work of the gaff", 

 and do it effectually, whilst at the same time probably saving 

 the lives of many gravid or unclean fish which ought to be 

 returned to the water — saving also, when the fisherman is a 

 conscientious observer of the salmon laws, a considerable 

 amount of time and temper. 



