42 



sir." We have happily outlived this stupid nonsense. 

 Every season adds to the ranks of lady anglers, who not 

 only catch fish, but who show that in delicacy of casting, 

 keenness for sport, and readiness of resource in moments 

 of emero'cncy, they can hold their own against their egotisti- 

 cal so-called " lords and masters." And those moments 

 of emergency are by no means infrequent when the lady 

 happens to be fishing for sea-trout, because they are amongst 

 the gamest fish that swim, and they take nearly as much 

 killing as a cat. 



The estuaries of all the Donegal rivers frecpiented by 

 these fish are swarming with them - — ■ only waiting for 

 freshets to induce them to run up In the salt water they 

 will take small spoons, silver Devon minnows, and the arti- 

 ficial sand eels, but sea - trout are very tender - mouthed 

 creatures, and they fight so furiously, that a great many are 

 lost when spinning is resorted to. Most of the stock flies 

 dressed by the tackle makers for sea-trout are much too 

 large and much too coarse for low and clear-water fishing. 

 In fact, some of the patterns are apparently intended to 

 frighten the fish out on to the bank. One of the best baskets 

 of sea-trout that ever fell to our rod was killed on a dark 

 olive dun, with quilled body, ribbed gold. If any of my 

 angling readers have never enjoyed the splendid sport of 

 sea-trout fishing, let them lose no time in repairing their 

 (icficiency, either in loch or river, even if they have t. 

 journey to the Hebrides in order to do so. Although these 

 fish usually take with a rush in fast water, they often rise 

 very gingerly in lochs, and Mill follow the fly some distance 

 ■without touching. We had some good fun with the small 

 brown trout, which teem in incredible numbers in both 

 the Loughs which feed the Clady river. One evening we 

 had an exciting bit of sport on the lower Lough. The day 

 had been too bright and calm for sport. The sun had gone 

 down in a blaze of fiery red, lighting up the western sky in 

 billowy masses of golden glory. We had ceased fishing 

 in order to watch the panoramic changes of this gloiious 

 sunset — much to the disgust of our boatman. "Isn't it a 

 magnificent sight?" I asked him enthusiastically. "Aye, 



