THE LANDING-NET iii 



over the third or shortest bar. The drag of the 

 oiled silk line brings it back till it passes over the 

 third bar, and drops softly on the water with a 

 foot or two to float before it can drag. Presently 

 it is taken, and the hooked fish has turned to bolt 

 down the carrier. But there the angler is ready. 

 Landing-net in hand, he gesticulates wildly at the 

 advancing fish, which bolts upstream again and 

 buries itself in the hole under the apron. Softly 

 the rod is passed under the second and lowest 

 crossbars, then the point is brought down to the 

 water's edge, and with a steady strain and a 

 jarring tap on the butt of the rod the trout is 

 brought down out of his fastness and killed in 

 due course. 



Lastly, another example of a similar method. 

 Imagine a strong stream some three yards wide and 

 one hundred yards or so long, running down from a 

 similar hatch to a big cross-dyke reaching out on 

 both sides. The angler is on the right bank, and 

 the current turns to the left on reaching the dyke. 

 The water for the latter half of the carrier is too 

 deep for wading. In the broad gravel shallow 

 at the tail of the patch a big two-pounder is lying. 

 The angler has already been run by a much 

 smaller fish down to the verge of the carrier, where 

 the stream turns off, and only netted his trout just 

 in time. For various reasons the other bank is 

 unsuitable to fish from. To begin with, the big 

 trout is not accessible from that side. Even from 



