72 Rambles with a Fishing-Rod. 



the heavy clouds. Our bag was a dozen and a 

 half of trout and grayling. The former were 

 very small, but the latter were in fine condition, 

 broad and hard, and with sides shining like 

 silver. There were three half-pounders, and 

 the rest were almost below a quarter of a pound 

 each. In these rapid streams a grayling in 

 good condition shows excellent sport. He lies 

 generally against a bank of gravel where the 

 stream is not the strongest, but when he is 

 hooked he is at once away for the quick water, 

 and with his tender mouth he is not at all 

 unlikely to escape. Moreover, if, as is very 

 likely the case, one is fishing on a bed of 

 gravel, at the end of which the river is deep 

 and rapid, there is no possibility of following 

 a fish down stream, so that a grayling is often 

 lost, when a trout, with his strong jaws, would 

 be secured. 



In the afternoon we intended, after walking 

 down the opposite or left bank of the 

 stream with the third of our party a lady 

 to fish up, and leave her to move along 

 homewards sketching at her leisure; but the 

 heavy clouds burst into rain when we were 

 about two miles down the stream, so I had to 



