ST, BOS WELLS. 215 



there is less chance of being seen in fishing up than in 

 fishing down ; but then, no matter how it comes about, 

 if the fish see the angler, the same undesirable result will 

 follow. Were it impossible for the angler to conceal 

 himself when fishing down stream, the result would be 

 that he would take nothing ; and doubtless a better 

 method would be discovered. But every angler of any 

 experience knows that this is not so ; and I venture to 

 say that a fisher, when he is supposably out of range of 

 the vision of the trout, can acquaint himself generally with 

 the nature of the water he is coming to, in fishing down, 

 as well as one coming up at an equal distance on the 

 other side. Then, surely, it is an easy matter to skirt the 

 water at the lower end of pool or stream and fish up. 

 Besides this, the careful and successful down-stream 

 angler, whose first article of belief is to have the best of 

 tackle, and his second, to keep out of sight, will studiously 

 take advantage of every tree or bush that can in the least 

 degree afford concealment, and fish with a longer rod 

 where there is no natural cover. As, when fishing, 

 whether I walk up or down stream, I invariably cast in 

 one way, viz., across, and a little up, it comes much to 

 the same thing, provided I can keep out of sight as well 

 the one way as the other. 



I make these remarks in connection with trout-fishing 

 in comparatively small streams, and where the necessity 

 for wading is not great : the conditions affecting a large 

 river are somewhat different. In fishing such a river as 

 the Tweed, and standing in a strong current at a depth 

 of three feet or more, wading up stream is, to my thinking, 



