ANGLING NOTES.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14836, 29 November 1913, Page 4

ANGLING NOTES.

USEFUL TO KNOW.

(Bt "leon BLTne.") (SKCULLY WBITTES FOE "XHS PBEBS.")

Having received a quite nice lettor teUing mc that "Useful to Know" really had proved useful for once; I am encouraged to venture twice in the same direction. In the first half .of theso particular notes,. while saying that a good-sized Greenwell shorn of its wings would make an excellent "Nymph; ,, 1 omitted to .say'that a fitting time to use this alteration is during "a mad rise," when apparently the trout are eager to take anything in. the world except the assortment of, artificial flies which the fisherman can offer. The proper plan, is to put the poor converted "Nymph" a foot ahead of a rising trout—as a rule they am criusing under such circumstances —and to allow the lure to sink in front of him, so that he has merely to take charge of it on his way. On one of theso weird occasions, a man expected mc to believe that a half-pounder co far forgot himself as to jump right into the angler's wader—and I do believe this really happened—but he strained my powers of belief by mentioning that tins was the only way in which fish could be caught in a mad rise; while I knew that my plan of using a sunk Greenwell Nymph is very frequently successful. * . * , Occasionally the angler is hard pressed for a makeshift under some such conditions as these —a heavy trout is hooked in a pool which presently divides into separate streams, and the quarry perversely insists, on travelling seawards down the farthest branch. The near stream is unfordable, and the .angler is faced by the instant prospect of a smash. Such a case demands a desperate remedy, and here it is: At the last extremity, when all hope of turning the fish seems vain, suddenly slack tie line and give him several -yards from the reel: and it is an even chance that the effect is quite satisfactory to the angler. Feeling the strain of the hold relaxed, the fish thinks that he is free, and shoots up into the pool again to congratulate himself upon his wonderful escape. From this happy state, it is the fisherman's job to beguile him gently down the near shore stream. Another time when this method of suddenly slacking line may prove useful is the moment ■when the aneler has been weeded by a big fish. Then, if all strain is removed, the trout often will disentangle himself, and emerge from the weed-bed confidently, to meet his fate. It must be remembered that this is not an experiment which may be tried by halves; a little strain on the line is far worse than none at all. and "nothing venture, nothing win," is a good saying. Now, that fish which'we have just landed was very truly a monster, and it seems that our poor little spring balance will not stretch down far enough to weigh him; an act which certainly must be performed before other jealous fellows have an opportunity to decry his proud proportions. In these most harassing conditions this is the plan. - Get any stout stick more I than a yard in length—the gaff handle may serve—measure it, make one end fast on a fence or branch, and at exact. I ly half its length suspend the trout by a bit of string or line. Next attach the spring balance by a loop to the end of the stick which is apart from, the fence, and exactly double the weight registered—after deducting half the weight of the stick—will be ■Che weight of the fish. If an assistant is at hand to hold tho weighing stick in a, fcori-

zontal position, there- is > not any necessity to worry about finding a fence; btrbywell, the fence does give a man a trifle more scope. Having landed a trout it is only sportsmanlike to despatch him speedily, and if possible in some way which does not j include the usual horror of hammering his unfortunate head upon the iron-shod toe of your truly "enormous number ten boot. Sometimes the happy despatch is forgotten altogether, and to-day I saw an angler—a successful angler who should have known better —putting fish alive into his basket, where- they kicked about at intervals during wholly unnecessary moments of distress. If a trout happens, as usual, to be on the hither side of a pound and a half, hold him firmly in the right hand, put your left-hand thumb dbnfidingly into his mouth, and a sudden backward wrench of his head will' kill Mm instantly,, by dislocating his back-bone-at a spot which we may call his neck. -When the capture of larger trout.is probable it is well to carry a bit of iron rod, which need be no mare than six inches long and between a quarter and .naif an inch thick. Tho weight of this little implement scarcely will bo noticed in the basket or even in a pocket, but a couple or three smart applications to the head of a big trout will put him out of business in quick time. For a moment we must leave these haughty, details of killings and weighings, and write a note for the angler who is just starting for the day. Now, imagine this poor worried and hurried individual presumably in charge of his kic and a gig, and a. chestnut coloured mare who wants a lack, and a pair of bright small boys who wish naturally to fight, and a dear second-half loudly desiring peace at any price from her somewhat precarious planting in the gig. That sentence may sound the least bit in the world alliterative, but if you had been there you would not have minded a little thing like that. Was it wonderful that the angler on arriving at his destination should find his basket contained no portion of the necessary tackle, or that he took the; very next opportunity of spanking those particularly wicked small boys for the benefit of their health, or that he> devised a plan to do away with future disappointings? Nowadays the lid of the basket is adorned with a neatly written list, which records plainly the things that should be within its hold. I find the plan a good one, and recom 4 mend it? for its worth.

A couple of methods connected with fly fishing may not be known generally, but I am sure they will be useful to know. The first is the plan called "shooting the line." When a fish, is marked at a spot across the river, a little out of tho reach of an ordinary cast, pull two or three yards of line , from the reel and hold *them loosely coiled in your left" hand. Now mak<? the cast, and at the instant when the line extends fully, let go the coils from your hand, and they will shoot out through the rings; thus giving so mucfi extra length to the cast. In this manner one can often get the fly to a &sk who looks impossibly far off, and if the cast is unsuccessful the lino is recovered in left hand coils for a new essay. The. second plan concerns a "coachman* which is to be dragged swiftly across a pool at dusk, and captures counted iff accordingly. Rather to my surprise I found that the trout liked the skipping lure amazingly, and the result of my first experiment quite justifies a furfher; trial.