PLAYING AND LANDING A FISH 207 



on a slack line will never travel far, but settles down 

 to the bed of the river and lies there, so giving the 

 angler plenty of time to get below, and consequently 

 in the best position to prevent it from running down 

 to or through the bridge below. 



I would suggest that a hooked fish is very like 

 a pig being driven to market. The farmer ties a 

 cord to one of the pig's hind legs, and the harder he 

 pulls the faster the pig runs in the opposite direction. 

 So with the hooked trout, the more you try to pull 

 it downstream the more anxious it is to run up. Do 

 not let yourself be persuaded by any antiquated 

 notions on this subject. Your old keeper will try 

 to impress upon you the great fallacy that if you do 

 not keep a strain on the fish's mouth it will get away. 

 The hook which falls out when the line is slack is 

 never home, and is in any case unlikely to hold while 

 you play the fish. 



The rod should be kept in an upright position 

 while playing a fish under normal conditions, but 

 when it is desired to exert any extra strain the rod- 

 point should be lowered to an angle approximately of 

 30° to the horizontal. It is surprising how little strain 

 the most powerful fly-rod can bring to bear. Many years 

 ago, when I was talking over this with the late Thomas 

 Andrews, the pisciculturist, he only half believed me. 

 He put up his biggest salmon-rod, and was electrified 

 to find that he could not lift a 2 -lb. weight off the 

 ground on his lawn with the rod in an upright 

 position. Mr. Sheringham tells me that he has seen 



