I ro THE TROUT 



to May and June, when cold ' snaps ' occur at the 

 most unexpected moments. 



Sometimes, when fishing during the Mayfly season, 

 I have noticed that provided the strength of the wind 

 be not too great, the trout seem to rise at the fly better 

 when the breeze is dawn-stream than when it blows 

 in an ^/-stream direction. 



Why this should be, I am not quite clear ; unless 

 it is that the artificial Mayfly floats more naturally 

 when being driven down-stream by the wind, instead 

 of being somewhat checked in its movement by a 

 contrary breeze. If this is so, then, as far as I 

 can judge, a light breeze blowing the same way as 

 the flow of the river may often be preferable to one 

 which would as a general rule be considered more 

 favourable ; this, at any rate, when the Mayfly is about. 



Of course very cold weather is inimical to much 

 sport : so is very sultry weather, and in this respect 

 extremes meet. But in the case of the former con- 

 dition, should the sun manage to penetrate the clouds 

 and touch the water with his gleams, very likely some 

 dark duns will hatch out and the trout take them 

 eagerly. However, as I have said before, it is little 

 use speculating on the weather, and so fi?h on what- 

 ever it may chance to be. 



There is only one of Nature's productions which 



