AS A FISHING GILLIE 357 



mud, etc. the places and time of day the flies hatch 

 out, the direction of winds that suit the different places, 

 the effects of cold and heat, sunshine and shade, the 

 different kinds of flies whether strong or fine tackle 

 should be used how to keep the boat to the wave in 

 drifting, whether the bow or stern should point to a 

 certain direction, and whether the boat is drifting too 

 fast or too slow. 



If there be only one angler in the boat, the gillie 

 should be able to advise which end he should fish from, 

 and whether it would be better to row the boat instead 

 of allowing it to drift. All these points should be care- 

 fully studied and mastered before the gillie can be said 

 to be an experienced one. When a trout is hooked, 

 the net should be quietly put under it and then lifted 

 out, the fish being caught with one hand, and the hook 

 extracted with the other. The fish should then be 

 knocked on the head, as nothing is more disgusting 

 than to have a trout half-dead wriggling about in the 

 basket. 



There is a great art in taking out a hook ; those 

 who know how to do it can extract it very quickly 

 without bending the iron or breaking the barb or 

 destroying the fly. The cast and hooks will often get 

 entangled, but the experienced gillie, with one or two 

 shakes, will be able usually to set them free. These 

 are some of the principal points the experienced angler 

 depends on for filling his basket. 



A clever gillie is always sought after. He is 



