LANDING NETS. 85 
ages occur, and is superior to the plan sometimes adopted of 
putting the inside ferrule on flush with the wood. 
Amongst these several rod fastenings the fly-fisher can 
easily choose for himself. Any one of them will be found in 
practice immeasurably more convenient than the old-fashioned 
unfixed double ferrule or even, perhaps, for the ordinary run 
of fly-fishers, than the spliced joint, though the latter gives the 
most perfect play to the rod when once adjusted. 
If, by the way, the rod joint should become stuck in the 
ferrule, the best and, indeed, the only means that I know of for 
separating it, is to turn it slowly in the flame of a candle at 
the ‘sticking point,’ when the swelling of the outside ferrule 
produced by the heat will generally enable a separation to be 
effected without damage to anything beyond the rod varnish. 
A little grease rubbed on to the ends of the joints before starting 
will, especially if the joint be not ‘ double brazed ’—i.e. covered 
with brass as to the lowest part of the plug—often. anticipate 
‘lesions’ of this kind, and prevention is better than cure. 
Quitting now the subject of rods, reels, lines, and hooks— 
the apparatus, that is, destined for hooking and playing a fish— 
the next and by no means unimportant question, is how to 
land him. ; 
For all fish of the trout and salmon species up to three or 
four pounds in weight a net will be found the most convenient 
and serviceable implement for this purpose—the province of 
the gaff coming in only in the case of larger and heavier fish. 
I will not here enter into the vexed questions of net or gaff on 
salmon rivers, although there is no doubt that nets can be 
made large enough and strong enough to ‘bag’ the largest 
salmon that ever took a fly, and to do all the work of the gaff, 
and do it effectually, whilst at the same time probably saving 
the lives of many gravid or unclean fish which ought to be 
returned to the water—saving also, when the fisherman is a 
conscientious observer of the salmon laws, a considerable 
amount of time and temper. 
