288 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



your own fault, and through your own eagerness and 

 haste ; for you are never to oiler to strike a good fish, if he 

 do not strike himself, till first you see him turn his head 

 after he has taken your fly, and then you can never strain 

 your tackle in the striking, if you strike with any manner of 

 moderation. Come, throw in once again, and fish me this 

 stream by inches ; for I assure you here are very good 

 fish ; both trout and grayling lie here ; and at that great 

 stone on the other side, it is ten to one a good trout gives 

 you the meeting. 



VIAT. I have him now, but he is gone down towards 

 the bottom : I cannot see what he is, yet he should be a 

 good fish by his weight ; but he makes no great stir. 



Pise. Why then, by what you say, I dare venture 

 to assure you it is a grayling, who is one of the deadest- 

 hearted fishes in the world, and the bigger he is, the more 

 easily taken. Look you, now you see him plain ; I told 

 you what he was : bring hither that landing-net, boy : 

 and now, Sir, he is your own ; and believe me a good 

 one, sixteen inches long I warrant him : I have taken none 

 such this year. 



VIAT. I never saw a grayling before look so black. 



Pise. Did you not ? Why then let me tell you, 

 that you never saw one before in right season ; for then a 

 grayling is very black about his head, gills, and down his 

 back ; and has his belly of a dark gray, dappled with 

 black spots, as you see this is ; and I am apt to conclude 

 that from thence he derives his name of umber. Though 

 I must tell you this fish is past his prime, and begins 

 to decline, and was in better season at Christmas than he 

 is now. But move on ; for it grows towards dinner 

 time ; and there is a very great and fine stream below, 

 under that rock that fills the deepest pool in all the river, 

 where you are almost sure of a good fish. 



VIAT. Let him come, I'll try a fall with him. But I 

 had thought that the grayling had been always in season 



