Bass, Pike, Perch, and OthersHenshall, James A. (James Alexander)
Science
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others
Henshall, James A. (James Alexander)
Fishes; Fishing
After giving a brief space to natural bait-fishing, he goes on to say:
"But after all there is only one way in which this fish should be
caught, and that is with the fly. This ground has been gone over so many
times that it only remains for me to say that, the grayling being a bold
and daring riser, never be discouraged if you fail to hook him, even if
he rise at your fly time after time. He lies very low in the river when
watching for his prey, and therefore is not so easily disturbed; and if
you remain quite still when he has risen and missed the fly and gone
down to his lair, he will surely rise again. His rise, too, is different to
a trout. A trout, from lying close to the surface when feeding, takes
without effort the flies floating over him, and also is easily scared.
A grayling, from lying deep in the water, quite close to the bottom,
comes up with great rapidity, and seldom takes the fly until it has
passed him; and should he miss it, which often happens, disappears
so quickly that he may well be compared to a shadow--hence the name
of 'umber,' from _umbra_, a shadow. Should you hook him, up goes his
great dorsal fin and down goes his head in his determination to get to
his hiding-place, and it depends on his size and gameness, as well as
the skill of the angler, whether he succeeds or not. I have often heard
anglers complain that grayling are more difficult to hook than trout.
Experienced anglers are all aware that grayling are not so easily hooked
on the rise as trout, but he offers the best compensation in his power by
consenting to rise over and over again until if you do not hook him the
fault is yours, not his. When he rises at a passing fly he must ascend
at lightning speed in order to cover the distance in time to catch it;
having done so, he turns instantly head down and descends at the same
speed. This is really the 'somersault' so well known to grayling fishers.
With a long line it is next to impossible to strike a grayling on the
instant, and a taut line in this fishing is of even greater importance
than in trout-fishing."
[Illustration THE MORE SPORTSMANLY WAY OF CATCHING MASCALONGE]
I have given the above liberal quotations because the article agrees so
well with my own practice in grayling fishing, and accords with the
habits of the American graylings as I have observed them.
FOOTNOTE:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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