114 SHOOTING AND SALMON FISHING 



morning with a very spare wing on purpose for the sunshine. 

 Overhanging this pool is a high bank, on which our old friend 

 and attendant, Peter, had posted himself The cast was drawn 

 blank without a fin showing, and when we again joined forces 

 to learn from him that eight different fish had all come to look 

 at the fly, we were indeed surprised. Some two hours later 

 the pool was re-fished, but this time the author changed places 

 with Peter, when from his vantage ground he saw five fish 

 come to take a look at the small " Sun " fly so neatly offered 

 them ; each returned to his lair not in the least alarmed, while 

 not one of these thirteen fish broke the water, for had they done 

 so they must have been seen, as this is a still, "oily" pool, and 

 from this we think it may be taken for granted the angler on a 

 level with the river little knows what goes on in the depths 

 below. Having waited till the sun went off this pool, we 

 again fished it with the same fly used the first time of trying 

 it, when two fell victims to its fascinations ; but the light was 

 then so bad that Peter could not see if others were moved. 

 Even in the very hottest and brightest of weather a keen 

 angler need not quite despair, for if he can see a fish 

 "turning" he had better stay and offer fly after fly, when 

 perhaps he may bully it into laying hold of one of them. 

 An instance of this kind happened to us on the Usk, one 

 scorching day in July. The late Sir Sandford Graham and 

 the author were staying at the Three Salmons Hotel, in Usk, 

 to fish the association water, while as we were not believers 

 in very early starts, it was often ten o'clock before a move was 

 made. On that particular day we found " Pen Carrig" vacant, 

 so Sir Sandford continued on his way to find another pool 

 below. " Rhil-a-derry " and " Coed-a-prior " were both occu- 

 pied, and from the rod on this latter pool he learnt that every- 

 thing else lower down was also full, an unusual number of 

 ticket-holders having come out that day. He therefore re- 

 turned, and we took it in turn to fish over a nice little salmon 

 that had been seen to rise. Thus in about every twenty 



