SOME RENNET DAYS 51 



advantage in one respect : the grayling took no alarm 

 at my proximity, and I was able to watch their every 

 movement, except when the violent upstream wind 

 ruffled the water too much. There were about a dozen 

 in the shoal, ranging from some three-quarters of a 

 pound up to the big one, who looked a good two and a 

 half pounds. 



I began the attack with a oo double-hooked Wick- 

 ham. The big one tilted his head at it once, and none 

 of the others would look at it. Then it was changed 

 for a little fly with red quill body and badger hackle, 

 also on double hooks. The patriarch came right up to 

 inspect this, as did two or three others ; but all shook 

 their heads and tails and went down again. After 

 several casts I tried letting the fly sink and float down 

 under water. I could not see it now, but I could see 

 the fish coming up to look at it just in the same way. 

 At last it seemed to me that one of them opened his 

 mouth and shut it again. I tightened ; the grayling 

 turned in the water and was on. Playing him gently 

 downstream, I retreated backwards, and eventually got 

 him into the net and to the bank without disturbing the 

 others a pounder with a beautiful sheen of salmon 

 pink over his silver. After he had been placed in the 

 creel on a bed of grass the attack was resumed. But 

 the little fly had lost its attractions, and was changed 

 for a Brunton's fancy on a oo single hook. This 

 brought the big grayling up like a shot, and I made 

 sure that he meant to have it. But no : down he went 

 again, after a perceptible moment of indecision. At 

 the next cast he did have it fairly, but somehow the 

 strike missed him, and he went down again unpacked. 



