SPRING. 35 



ginning with February, are taken with the phantom, 

 spoon, and other artificial baits, and by spinning with the 

 natural bait from the boat. This is, in trutli, the only re- 

 munerative fashion of fishing at this period in these waters, 

 and there is not a whisper to be breathed against the 

 custom. But there is something unpleasant in the notion 

 of the King of Game-fishes being done to death by a nasty 

 blackheaded worm. Sinking and drawing with shrimp, 

 perhaps, seems less objectionable, and when the fly is 

 useless, as it often is in the hands of the best of anglers, 

 conscience will tolerate minnow and par-tail rather than an 

 empty creel. I should not like to go so far as to affirm 

 that worm fishers for salmon and trout were poachers, 

 but if I ever brought myself to such a pass, I would not 

 talk about it, and should consider myself entitled to rank 

 with the person who shoots a pheasant sitting. The end 

 may justify the means, but it is not to be gloried in. 



In February the trout angler, also welcomes his opening 

 day. In numbers he is in the proportion of a hundred to 

 one as compared with him of whom we have been speaking. 

 As yet it is not the custom to impose a licence upon trout 

 fishing, and the tickets issued by the local associations are 

 a wholesome check upon malpractices, and no hard tax 

 upon the fisherman. He is probably not a gentleman of 

 leisure, or independent means, and must snatch his sport 

 between turns at the mill-wheel of daily occupation. Very 

 keenly, therefore, he looks forward to the opening of the 

 rivers, and has furbished up his casts, and overhauled his 

 rod, taken apart and oiled his winch, and arranged his flies 

 long before the joyous day. He may have taken a pre- 

 liminary Sunday ramble up the stream of his affections to 

 make a mental map of the campaign, and be assured that 

 the familiar scours and stickles have not been altered by 



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