One, the gentle and practical angler ; an-
other, the hand-liner who scoffs at correct
angling; another, the insincere man of
limited experience, who, though he affects
proper methods and tools, judges his sport
by the size of his creel; the fourth, the
earnest tyro. Let these men iish a natur-
ally beautiful water where there are a few



The Contented Angler 9

lordly trout or bass, and these well fed
and hard to take, and listen to the differ-
ent views expressed : «

The angler: "I had a delightful day.
The scenery was grand, and the weather
perfect."

The scofler: "No fish."

The insincere man, who will soon give
up angling altogether: "No fish there;
clouds of insects; impenetrable bushes
and weeds ; am tired in every bone, and
glad to be home again."

The earnest tyro : ' ' There are fish there,
for I saw them in the water, and witnessed
expert anglers take them. I am a trifle
inexpert as yet; fresh-water angling is
not as easy as salt-water fishing. I had
two strikes and lost both fish, but the day
was fine, the scenery grand ; I had a good
walk, breathed fresh air, ate pure food
with a rare appetite, had a rest from
tedious office duties, saw a thousand in-
teresting natural history subjects, and
withal had a joyous time. I will sleep



lo The Angler's Secret

well to-night and feel like working harder
than ever to-morrow."

A tyfo can catch fish of some sort on
his first salt-water trip, and he may take
a pickerel, perch, rock bass, sunfish, or
catfish on his initial outing on fresh water,
but his first day at salmon, trout, or black
bass will not be as remunerative in the
actual catching of fish.
