THAMES TROUT. 199 



perienced angler has no difficulty in recognising 

 the difference of action, and will not shift his bait 

 to a sullen fish. The senses get so accustomed to 

 the glitter and roar of a weir that neither is 

 noticed, and any fish moving on the surface or 

 darting above it are seen directly, almost mechani- 

 cally. When trouting, the hours fly by with mar- 

 vellous rapidity ; boats and launches pass above 

 the weir utterly unheeded, though the shrill whistle 

 of a launch signalling to the lock-keeper is now 

 and again startling. 



Trout have a dangerous knack of le'aping when 

 hooked ; when this occurs, the rod-top must be 

 lowered, chancing a slack line ; raise it again when 

 the fish has fallen, for if you pull on the fish at the 

 critical moment you will probably lose him, or the 

 jerk of the leap may snap the cast. Most trout 

 play very pluckily ; a sluggish fish is generally old 

 or in bad condition, or has been hurt in some way 

 or other. A trout usually fights to the very last, 

 and dies very quickly after being landed. 



Owing to so much disturbance and the highly 

 educated state of the fish, all Thames fishing is 

 difficult, especially in the Lower Thames. I cer- 

 tainly think the art of trouting the most difficult 

 of all to acquire ; but it has at least one feature in 

 the angler's favour, for when trout feed they mean 

 business, baits are not sucked off, but dashed at. 

 A big trout indeed will pull the rod out of your 

 hands if you are taken unawares and the line 

 is entangled in the winch or rings, and its tearing 

 plunge is one of the most exciting experiences the 

 angler can wish for. 



Quiet dress, colour of rod, line, &c., should be 

 considered. I have done better with trout since I 



