EASTER FLY FISHING ON THE ITCHEN 3 



thick, drizzling sea mist, now and again breaking 

 out into heavy driving rain. 



I am getting ahead of my story, for I might have 

 said that not only was Friday a lovely day, but it 

 was not altogether an uninteresting day for fishing. 

 When our trout do condescend to rise, we have 

 already found out that it is between the hours of 

 eleven and one, and it was between those hours 

 that I got a fine trout and a brace of grayling. 

 These grayling, which, with their bluish-purply 

 sheen, can be seen in pairs on the gravel beds, the 

 one dark and the other fair, are always only too 

 ready to make a dash at a floating fly. 



It is a nuisance to catch them, although they 

 give lively sport enough ; but the trouble and 

 damage to their constitution, in getting the hook 

 out of their mouths in order to return them to the 

 water, more than counterbalance the sport of catch- 

 ing them. It is quite amusing to watch a pair of 

 these amatory thymy shadows ogling each other 

 down in the water, billing and cooing like a pair of 

 turtle doves. 



The Major caught a brace of trout and several 

 troublesome grayling ; the largest trout was about 

 1 1 lb., and by this trout there hangs a tale. 



When I was fishing in the same meadow last 

 June I lost many a trout and many a May Fly ; 

 now it so happens that in the gill of this trout was 

 found, firmly hooked, a very perfect May Fly the 

 G.O.M. with six inches of gut. He has worn and no 

 doubt been very proud of this distinctive decoration 



