TROUTING WITH OTHER DEVICES 143 



ready baited, and another for diving-minnow 

 ready baited, and one with worm all attached 

 to the under-side of our creel-lid, and a 

 strand or two round our hat ready for using 

 the ' nat'ral flee ' usually a big blue-bottle 

 or a large house-fly and finally, a cast of 

 artificials attached to our line. But we 

 were younger then, more patient than now, 

 and knew less; but our very keenness and 

 untiringness often resulted in our having 

 pretty bits of sport. We would begin fishing 

 up a stream or a pool or a reach with fly, 

 then spin it down with minnow we used a 

 somewhat stiff twelve-foot rod ; then in the 

 dead reaches time about, or as we found 

 best a diving minnow or the natural fly, 

 and good fish were often taken thus. Now, 

 however, we rarely practise these arts. 

 Somehow one's ideas of ' sport ' change with 

 the years that go by. Now we care little or 

 aught for anything but the artificial fly and 

 worm, and an occasional (very .occasional) 

 fling with the 'birlin' mennen' (spinning 

 minnow) or the 'develin' mennen' (i.e. the 

 diving minnow) or the par-tail, but we do 

 not hanker after these methods. As for fish- 



