248 THE CHARR TAKES THE FLY. 



The notion commonly entertained in England as to the 

 charr not taking the fly, is altogether erroneous ; for no fish 

 rises to it with more avidity. 



Mr. Charles Engstrom, our Consul at Gothenburg, men- 

 tioned to me, indeed, that in a small stream connecting two 

 mountain lakes near to Hammerfest, he captured in the course 

 of a forenoon from seven to eight dozen of charr of full 

 herring-size. They seemed not at all particular, he said, as 

 to the kind of fly, but took the one as well as the other. 

 Mr. Engstrom was accompanied by three friends, all of 

 whom were about as fortunate as himself. 



When speaking of his performances on the occasion in 

 question, Mr. Engstrom mentioned a somewhat singular 

 circumstance namely, that though numbers of charr were 

 shortly after noon seen disporting themselves on the surface 

 of the water, the fish all at once ceased rising to the fly ; 

 and during the remainder of the day the party did not 

 succeed in killing even a single one. The result was pre- 

 cisely the same on the succeeding day, when he and his 

 friends again fished the same stream a heavy basket in 

 the morning, but not a fish subsequently. 



" In many of the lakes and streams in the higher range of 

 mountains towards Norwegian Finnmark," writes Mr. Dann, 

 " charr are very abundant. The largest I killed weighed 

 between four and five pounds. Above the falls, near to 

 the source of the great Tornea river, I caught enormous 

 quantities ; but it was not everywhere they would rise to 

 the fly." 



"Of all fish, perhaps," Mr. Dann goes on to say, "a 

 charr in season dressed directly it comes out of the water is 

 the most delicious. Those with the crimson and orange 



