DOYEDALE TROUT AND TRENT SALMON. 



I liavo spent several very delightful anglinp; holidays 

 in Dovedale, and for early spring trout fishing I know of no 

 place more enjoyable. Later on in the season, the fierce 

 midsummer sun pouring down into the dale — without a 

 breath of wind to temper its rays — is rather too much of a 

 good thing. My first trout fiom the Dove was taken from 

 the stepping-stones shown in oiu* illustration of the 

 " Entrance of Dovedale." The river can there be crossed 

 by a series of stones, Avhich form a little cascade. I was 

 standing upon these stepping-stones, admiring the vista of 

 the opening dale before me, and my cast dragged neglected 

 in the stream beliind me. My day-dream was broken by 

 a iicavy " rug," and I found, to my amazement, that a 

 ])ound trout had " yanked on," as they say in the States. 

 This was polite on the part of the Dove trout to thus come 

 to net uninvited, but I did not find airy more of them so 

 complaiscent. The Dove is a somewhat slow-running river, 

 tlie water beinfj held back by small artificial weirs at short 

 intervals, and these obstructions make some pretty little 

 cascades. In the luns l)elow these falls most of the anglers 

 seek their sport, but I did better upon the deep glassy 

 " flats " at the entrance of the dale with a floating fly. The 

 May fly was just coming on wlxen I arrived at the old 

 Isaac AValton Hotel, and before many days it was up ii^ 

 teeming thousands, that faii'ly enveloped the angler. I 

 never saAv such a rise of May fly in my life, either before or 

 since, and it lasted duinng a period of ten daj's. The natives 

 and visitors fished in orthodox fashion, with light 12ft. 

 bamboo rods and fine Stewart tackle. A small basket, 

 containing female May fly, strapped round the waist, and 

 two of these flies were impaled, one above the other, on the 

 hooks. This class of fisliing- Avas all done in the fast water 



