A YORKSHIRE BECK 31 



lively than the rest, and I began to think that Ghyll 

 Beck was not a fishable water at all. Then, by a 

 lucky accident, I discovered one of its secrets. I lost 

 both flies in a tree overhead (I shall not dwell on this 

 recurring feature of the day again, but may just mention 

 that the total was six black gnats, three blue uprights, 

 two March browns, two red spinners, and six or seven 

 " assorted " droppers), and had to renew them and 

 half the cast. This I did standing where I was under 

 the tree and within a cast of the pool above it, in 

 which I had already seen alarms and excursions 

 going on. 



The repair took some minutes, and then I avoided 

 the tree by an underhand switch cast, and the flies fell 

 just at the tail of the pool. Instantly there was a bold 

 rise, and my first sizable trout came tumbling and 

 splashing downstream into the net. It was quite a nice 

 one of three ounces. Two little things were hooked, 

 landed, and returned before I moved, and I had yet 

 more before the pool was finished, turning over a good 

 one in the stream at its head. This revealed a policy 

 which seemed likely to pay to get into position for 

 each pool, and then to wait for a few minutes until the 

 trout should have got over their alarm. And pay it did 

 after a modest fashion, for by a belated luncheon-time 

 I was possessed of half a dozen trout averaging about 

 three ounces, and very pleased with myself. Besides 

 them, there had been a number of small ones returned, 

 and one or two interesting experiences. On a sandy 

 glide above a pool, for instance, I became aware of 

 two eels, each about half a pound in weight, grubbing 

 amicably about like two dogs among rat-holes. Then, 



