196 COARSE FISH. 



when you move and let him alone, he will probably- 

 feed vigorously in a very short time. I cannot 

 consider this chance, so shy and clever is an old 

 Thames trout. At some unlucky moment, when 

 really madly on the feed, he is hooked ; and he well 

 knows where to go, and what to do when that 

 happens. Thames trouting is nothing less than 

 fascinating to all who give much attention to the 

 sport, for the fish are the gamest the river contains. 

 You never know how long it will take to get a fish ; 

 you may run one immediately, or you may fish for 

 weeks without success : hence the patience required. 

 It is not the number of fish killed, but the skill and 

 patience that must be exercised in their capture 

 that truly constitute sport ; a fish killed by really 

 waiting on him and for him, and at last secured by 

 some cunning device, gives the true angler his 

 greatest satisfaction. I was marvellously fortunate 

 in my first endeavours, for I hooked and landed 

 the first Thames trout I ever tried for on the third 

 cast of the bait. I saw the fish when waiting below 

 Sunbury Lock ; he " moved " close behind the stern 

 of my little dinghy ; and two days later I put a 

 spinning bait over him with most satisfactory 

 results. Since then, I have caught fish that I have 

 tried for most patiently, and valued them accordingly. 

 In 1893, I had a three-pound fish on the second 

 cast of the season. A fine trout was landed at 

 Shepperton by an angler who was making his first 

 trial of weir fishing, and a six-and-a-half pound fish 

 was recently taken at Sunbury under similar circum- 

 stances. I mention this for the encouragement of 

 beginners, to induce them to persevere. Catching 

 a good basket of fish gives great pleasure ; but the 

 intense enjoyment of landing a large Thames trout 



