88 AN OPEN CREEL 



never a fish would look at anything, though there were 

 rises in plenty and fly in abundance. Olives, reds, 

 blues, gingers, and the shades between were tried 

 conscientiously, but the trout might have all been 

 dead in a dish for the response they gave. The 

 thought arose that "it is better to have hooked and 

 lost than never to have hooked at all," and it seemed 

 a good thought. To it succeeded temptation, and old 

 vows, solemnly taken, became of no account. In 

 short, a fly on a ooo hook was knotted to the cast, and, 

 as all dry-fly anglers, save the very few born lucky, 

 know, this is a sure road to hook and to lose. Ex nihilo 

 nil fit " treble nothings " catch nought. Oddly enough, 

 however, the first fish that rose at the tiny blue upright 

 was caught, and the toy hook was found for once in a 

 way to have taken firm hold. But it was only a small 

 fish, and scarcely sizeable, so it went in again. The 

 second fish rose, and was not hooked. The third, a 

 good one, lay under the opposite bank in a wide place, 

 and it needed a superhuman cast to reach it. But a 

 puff of wind aided, the fly fell right; the trout rose 

 boldly, and in a moment was tearing downstream. 

 Gradually line was wound in, and the fish manoeuvred 

 across, through a sparse bed of rushes, over weeds, 

 and into a clear run under the near side. The folding- 

 net was opened, the rod bent to the final strain, and 

 then the fly came easily away, while the fish remained 

 exhausted just out of reach. " It is better to have 



hooked and lost than never " But the saying seemed 



inadequate at the moment, and ended in vigorous but 

 irrelevant Saxon. 



The next fish was feeding under the near bank, and 



