160 MODERN SEA FISHING 



One of the finest takes of sea trout I have ever seen, 

 leaving out of consideration the monster fish which are found 

 in Norway, was caught on the smallest possible blue Doctor at 

 the end of a very fine cast. The fish were lying in a couple of 

 feet of water, or less, close to the edge of a sloping sandbank, 

 in the tidal portions of a Scotch river. The angler was stand- 

 ing on the other side, and caught these trout by sheer dint of 

 careful casting, fine tackle, and exceedingly small fly. I had 

 been salmon fishing, higher up the river, and when I joined him 

 the sport was just over. Other men who had been fishing with 

 flies which I should certainly not call large, but were larger than 

 the one which caught the fish, had no sport whatever. 



I referred just now to Norwegian sea trout. In a few rivers 

 these grow to an enormous size, and many are caught out in 

 the fjords some distance from fresh water. The Norskers harl 

 with a bunch of worms, but many good fish may be taken by 

 harling the salmon fly, particularly at dusk or very early morn- 

 ing. As in Scotland, the sea trout lie close to the rocky shore, 

 and should be particularly looked for off projecting points and 

 in small sandy bays. Casting from the shore is not practised, 

 so far as I am aware ; but I have not the least doubt that if it 

 were systematically persisted in, some very good results would 

 be obtained. 



I heard of one case in which two English anglers, who were 

 not in a position to hire a salmon river, went to Norway, and 

 actually had better sport with the sea 'trout in the fjord than 

 had a lessee of a very fine salmon and sea-trout river hard by. 

 That was, of course, in a very dry season, when the fish 

 were in large numbers, waiting in the sea until a spate came 

 which would enable them to run up the river. I understand 

 that the ' fly ' was a blue and silver Phantom. 



In the fjords sea trout will take medium-sized Jock Scotts, 

 Butchers, and, in fact, all the brightly coloured salmon flies. 



