1 2 WA TERSIDE SKETCHES. 



us, I may ply the fly to some purpose. But what with 

 poaching, the increase of anglers, and vile pollution every- 

 where, trout, alas ! except in very remote parts, are be- 

 coming scarcer and scarcer every year, and it requires the 

 utmost skill to bring the fish to basket. Unfortunately 

 this streamlet is poorly stocked, and there is not a solitary 

 tree or bush to cover its banks. On the other hand, the 

 water is neither too high nor too low an inch makes a 

 vast difference here and the factory above has been good 

 enough not to pour out its discolouring refuse to-day. 

 But I must creep to the water and move stealthily. 



As it is a small stream, of course, on that strange law 

 of contraries which guides the angler in these matters, 

 full sized flies must be employed the invaluable March 

 brown as stretcher, the cowdung (considering the warm 

 wind) for dropper number two, and the blue dun number 

 three. You cannot detect the ghost of a rise anywhere, 

 and cast after cast ends in the same monotonous disap- 

 pointment. Try every art within your knowledge, still no 

 success. Put on the stonefly for the blue dun ; the result 

 is the same, although the flies fall light as snowflakes on 

 the ripple. 



At last I have carefully covered every yard of the short 

 length of streamlet at our disposal, fishing according to 

 orthodox rules, and pardon the egotism fishing it tho- 

 roughly. I am too much accustomed to the certain un- 

 certainties of angling to be disheartened, although it must 

 be confessed I am anxious not to return to the brother- 

 hood empty-handed. Now let me be unorthodox. One 

 of the lessons I was taught in the early days was not to 

 use a red spinner till May. The red palmer is permissible 



