A WELSH CARP LAKE in 



but this is irrelevant, and the tackle must be put 

 together. 



The large trout spoken of are more important than 

 carp, and the outfit is better suited for their capture, 

 for no bottom-fishing tackle was brought into Wales. 

 Accordingly, March brown, coch-y-bondhu, and Green- 

 well's glory are soon searching the edge of the lake ; 

 no rises can be seen,, but a nice ripple inspires hope, 

 and the gradual circuit of the shore is begun. Not 

 a trout takes the least notice of the flies, though an 

 occasional wallow a long way out betrays carp, and 

 after much toil and tread it becomes clear that if there 

 are trout here they are not rising an opinion which 

 gradually mellows to the certainty that there are no 

 trout here to rise. As the point opposite the little 

 island is approached the water becomes much shal- 

 lower, and the signs of carp more numerous, until at 

 last, in eighteen inches of water, several can plainly be 

 seen swimming lazily about, some fifteen yards from 

 the shore. From force of habit the March brown, 

 coch-y-bondhu, and Greenwell's glory are despatched 

 in pursuit of them, of course without result. The fish 

 display neither interest nor alarm, but merely indiffer- 

 ence. It is time to adopt other measures. In the 

 creel is a large lump of paste made of flour and honey, 

 and in the fly-book are hooks. Float there is none, 

 but in this shallow water it is not necessary, and 

 might even be a hindrance. The only difficulty is to 

 get the bait out far enough ; honey-paste is not the 

 best thing to cast with a ten-foot fly-rod, and many 

 pellets are scattered about experimentally. Finally, 

 it is proven that fifteen yards is too ambitious a 



