202 NOTES ON FISH AND FISHING. 



of line I knew that the " attachment " was close to the 

 bank ; and indeed it was in the shape of a grand fish, at 

 least 20 lbs. in weight, with another jack of about 3 lbs., 

 which had already pouched my bait, in his mouth. I 

 had him within three yards of the bank, and we looked 

 steadfastly at each other, his wicked eyes having a sort 

 of inquiring look, as much as to ask me what I in- 

 tended to do. I answered by taking my landing-net, to 

 which he responded by quietly dropping the 3 lb. jack, and 

 sailing quietly off in the clear, still water of the lake. I 

 plead guilty to great indiscretion in the matter, as he had 

 the 3 lb. jack merely crosswise in his mouth. Directly I 

 saw the situation I should very quietly have dropped my 

 rod or gradually retired, giving him what line he wanted 

 and a good quarter of an hour to gorge. However, I did 

 not ; and I only mention the incident as illustrating the 

 sluggishness of big jack, of which I have had many in- 

 stances, when they have been fairly hooked. For a spor- 

 tive fish of his class commend me to one of about 5 lbs. or 

 6 lbs. in the Thames — an educated fish, as all Thames fish 

 are — or in some swift stream. Such an one shows fair 

 sport enough, especially if you are fishing " fine," and not 

 in the clothes-prop-and-line way of business. 



Alas ! that there should not be more good jack-fishing 

 to be got in England than is now the case. I say in 

 " England," because of the multitude of English anglers, 

 more or less of a humble kind, who cannot afford either 

 the time or money to get to Scotland or Ireland. As 

 angling has become more and more popular, good fishing, 

 and especially good jack-fishing, has become more difficult 

 to obtain every year. In " open " rivers jack have been 

 woefully thinned down, or become very crafty, at least the 



