ig2 AN OPEN CREEL 



perhaps unwisely. Where one is limited to a certain 

 number of brace, the desire to do as well as possible 

 often causes the return of fish which are sizeable but 

 not creditable, and as a rule the basket suffers in con- 

 sequence. After this no amount of casting seemed to 

 produce any result, and the old disappointing game 

 was played, the grayling being the players. When 

 this happens, the best rule is to stick to it. Sooner or 

 later a fish loses its head and takes the fly which it has 

 seen so frequently. After a good half-hour a small 

 Wickham obtained a rise, and a brisk piece of sport 

 followed before a one-and-a-half-pound grayling was 

 added to the bag. But the Wickham did no more, and 

 was eventually changed for a gold witch, which was 

 not afterwards taken off, for it seemed to serve the 

 purpose. Three grayling were netted in a short time ; 

 they were sizeable but not creditable, so they went in 

 again. Then came another better one, approximately 

 one and a half pounds, which was kept. But the hope 

 engendered by its capture was not fulfilled, and all the 

 other fish taken after it, several brace of them, were 

 below the standard of credit, and so were returned. A 

 leash, therefore, made up the total. 



But pleasure is not always measurable by the catch, 

 and the day was full of delight. The air was crisp 

 with frost the whole time, but a good deal of walking 

 and hard casting insured warmth enough for comfort. 

 Enough fish were caught to make the fishing interesting, 

 and there was a final moment which almost made up 

 for a week of fog. The rise was over, and a move 

 homewards was about to be made, when the mist 

 suddenly parted over the hills in front, disclosing a 



