THE BIG FISH. 
67 
steadily, taking it in turns. We had on a spoon 
which subsequently became our lucky spoon, 
which still survives, scored all over by the teeth 
of many a dorado. It was heavy, of copper, 
two and three-quarter inches long, and with one 
large single hook, of such a size that, fastened 
to the head of the spoon, it hung just clear of 
the tail. This is far the best arming. The 
trace was two and a-half feet of piano wire, 
with many large swivels; and just above the 
trace was a small bullet, half an ounce in 
weight, attached by weak string, so that if it 
gets caught the string breaks and you do not 
lose your trace. The rod was an extremely 
powerful greenheart spinning rod, ten and 
a-half feet long : the line was one hundred yards 
of green cuttyhunk followed by one hundred 
yards of backing: and the reel was a Silex. 
Such was our tackle; everything was tried and 
tested, and a better outfit cannot be imagined. 
We had fished for an hour, before I hooked 
and landed a good fish. He was lying in rapid 
water, where two streams met, and he took us 
down some way before he was gaffed. He 
iweighed over thirty-three pounds and a half, 
and he was as lovely as a piece of old jewellery, 
and as thick as a carp. After that, my com¬ 
panion fished on, but without a touch; and, as 
I did not much fancy the water round us and 
could see no likely places near, I suggested that 
Pedroso should paddle back to where my fish 
