THE ROD IN SALT WATER 401 



depends on the extent to which the fisherman can trust 

 his rod and tackle. If he is confident of every inch of 

 it (always remembering that it is the weakest spot that 

 lets him down), then he may play the fish firmly to the 

 gaff. I have played a tarpon of nearly 1 50 Ib. to the 

 gaff with more confidence, and in less time, than a bass 

 of 17 Ib., because in the first case I knew perfectly 

 well that I could take liberties, since it would take a 

 suffragette on polling day to break away from tarpon 

 tackle. As has already been indicated, the fish should 

 be brought to the gaff as soon as possible, short of 

 hauling it as if the rod were a derrick. I have known 

 fishermen so addicted to the music of the reel that, as 

 soon as a fish is hooked, they swing back the top of 

 the rod, so as to pull more line off the reel. Sometimes, 

 owing to difficulty in winding up the slack, the fish is 

 lost, and then I rejoice to see such folly pay the price. 

 With heavy fish and stout tackle, the most effective 

 way of reeling in the fish is by what the Americans 

 call ''pumping," the top of the rod being lowered and 

 raised alternately, and the slack reeled in as often as 

 possible. The novice should keep the top of the rod 

 well up, always (particularly when a big fish is hooked 

 in deep water) with due regard to the strain it will bear 

 and the curve it will take without snapping. The quick 

 gaffing of a fish depends not only on the skill of the 

 gillie, but also on the manner in which the fisherman 

 brings his fish to the gaff. If he should get excited 



at the critical moment, and either slack the line or lift 

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