30 FISHING GOSSIP. 
water will be found not to be great. The rate at 
which the angler propels his craft should not be fast 
nor yet too slow. There is a happy mean which 
‘keeps the bait in its proper relation to the bottom, 
and which can only be learned by experience. 
But ere theory has concluded its precepts, prac- 
tice has stepped in to teach us something better. 
The reel sounds the alarm; the rod “chucks” con- 
vulsively from butt to point ; and before the oars can 
well be drawn in, old ferox has shot bolt-upright out 
of the water at fifty yards’ distance, shaking his open 
jaws violently as if threatening his antagonist, but in 
reality struggling to disgorge bait and hook; and I 
am sorry to say for the amusement of the reader, has 
succeeded in his dodge and is gone. The line lies 
listlessly on the’ wave, the rod has recovered its 
wonted composure, the reel has ceased its enlivening 
click, and nought is heard save that heavy sigh with 
which the young angler meets the loss of his first 
chance. 
But let him cheer up; he may have better luck 
next time. Life has many disappointments, and 
angling has its share. In fact, when, in either fly- 
fishing or trolling, a large fish thus works on the sur- 
face immediately he is struck, it is an inauspicious 
symptom, and there is a strong probability of his 
being imperfectly hooked. The line, however, must 
now be reeled in, and the bait, which will be gener- 
