The Fishing of Rivers with the Wet Fly 71 



To illustrate my meaning. 



During a low state of the water, a skilful 

 and experienced angler visits, say the Tweed, 

 for the first time, at any point between 

 Melrose and Mertoun. 



He spends three weeks fishing daily, and, 

 his holiday over, he returns home, with 

 an absolute brain-photograph of every pool 

 and stream, in the three miles of water he 

 had fished. 



He returns, another year. On this 

 occasion, however, the river has just been 

 in flood, and, though all but clear, is 

 brim full. Where are all the pretty little 

 places which he remembered so well? 

 where the gentle flow of some pool or 

 stream, which, with wisdom and skill, he 

 used to fish up, whilst easily wading upward 

 against the gentle current ? Where all the 

 pretty little eddies? the little broken runs? 

 the long, pleasant, and wadable flats ? 

 Has the flood swept them all away, or 

 changed their character so ? He will not 

 believe it. He will wade his pet flats 

 upward, anyhow, and fish up as he wades. 



So he thinks ; but he is mistaken. The 

 toil alone would prove too great ; nor would 

 it pay him. He must fish the river as 

 he finds it, and his methods must change 



