SALMON ANGLING IN IRELAND. 24^ 



my guide paused, and arranged on the 'casting line a Ballina grilse 

 fly, and for droppers a small fiery brown and golden olive, which 

 in another moment were skimming over the pool. I had made up 

 my mind for a rise at the first throw, and felt proportionately 

 disappointed at not getting one. Never was hour more favourable ; 

 there was a gi-ey sky, a stiff westerly breeze, a smir of rain, and 

 beautiful water. The lodge was rather a long one, and every inch 

 was tried down without the smallest sign of a fish. Bryan, the 

 smith, though near was not visible. I heard the voices of mv 

 companions, and was able to detect certain odours indicative of 

 pipes, but that was all. " So this is the way you look after the 

 interests of * the master's ' friends, is it, Mr. B. ? And that 



fellow, Willie, too. Evil communications corrupt well, of course 



they do. National schools ought to teach one hundred proverbs 

 with the catechism." Left to my own devices I tried a claret body, 

 black hackle, and mallard wing with equal want of success, and 

 next mounted a dark olive, which, for all the good it did, might 

 as well have remained unwetted. 



Whilst mournfully brooding over the conduct of the deserters, 

 Willie's honest face appeared above a fragment of rock. There was 

 an odd smile on it as he walked up to his master. 



" Bryan advised me to tie this, seeing the fust fly failed ; it's 

 a queer article, master ; but he says, when the rig'lar patterns won't 

 do, this one, in high water, often answers uncommon well." 



Bryan's " advice " was sufficiently uncommon to justify my giving 

 a sketch of the insect. Here is an attested copy Gold tag, yellow 

 fur body, gold tinsel and red hackle, with black centre ; two or three 

 fibres of blue macaw for horns and two for tail complete the picture. 

 In hot weather I had often found a large black palmer kill grilse 

 when nothing else would move them, but I did not believe in this 

 " gold spinner," and felt indisposed to waste further care on the 

 lodge, as I had been steadily over it three times. Bryan's faith, 

 however, was unshaken ; he declared there were plenty of fish in it, 

 and that a new fly might do something ; so, walking to the head of 

 the pool, I commenced thrashing it once more. At the second 



