. Western field. ood fish have I taken by groping,a form of sport which, if scientifically done, en-tails much skill, and which appealsto every sport-loving schoolboy. Gropingis the taking by means of the bare hands ofany fish which can be thus approached. Withold. clothes on I have, as a boy, waded formiles in the hill becks groping for shallow waters are necessary for doingit, though I have taken fish when I up tomy chin in a deep pool. Anyone can gropefish when they take refuge under rocks or inthe underground water-rat holes in a muddyriver-bank, but to take a
. Western field. ood fish have I taken by groping,a form of sport which, if scientifically done, en-tails much skill, and which appealsto every sport-loving schoolboy. Gropingis the taking by means of the bare hands ofany fish which can be thus approached. Withold. clothes on I have, as a boy, waded formiles in the hill becks groping for shallow waters are necessary for doingit, though I have taken fish when I up tomy chin in a deep pool. Anyone can gropefish when they take refuge under rocks or inthe underground water-rat holes in a muddyriver-bank, but to take a fish in mid-stream,with no shelter and no chance of cornering itwith both hands, requires no little skill andpatience. My readers will regard me, I am afraid, asa person of poaching proclivities, but I mustask them to forgive my past misdemeanors,done in the exuberance of schoolboy sportingdays; since when I have rigidly adhered to ?^K^l .„-*^; ^ 5.; ;^: \\ Lont- Stretch of Clear Open Water Ifl-S-/ lihK FIELD. Th. Ihi- more legal means of gaining the required end. I well remember a friend of the familybeing extremely dubious as to the feasibilityof thus groping a trout in open water,and his doubts so annoyed me that I finallypersuaded him to accompany me and watcha sample capture, which was entirely suc-cessful and quite assured him that the trickwas possible. By approaching a fish thusfloating, head up stream, inch by inch andvery slowly, it is possible to slide an armquietly beneath it, and by gently rubbingthe fishs belly with the finger tips, it willslowly turn nearer to the hand, when bymoving very slowly towards the gills, asudden clutch makes it yours. Turning to more legitimate methods, Irecall a fine May morning when I wendedmy way to the source of the little streamaforementioned. Leaving the old stonehouse, I turned up the grassy winding lanetoward? the limestone-clad hills, from thefoot of which the beck bubbles forth to the light of day. Passing a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectsports, bookyear1902
