A SURREY RIVER. 103 



Now and then some half-pounder would rush up 

 the little fall, and turn again, showing his bright 

 sides to perfection, a most tantalising sight, even 

 with the rod in your hand. Seeing a fish is not 

 catching him : there is a wide difference between 

 looking at him in the water and seeing him in your 

 basket. 



The orthodox method of capturing trout is with 

 the fly, natural or artificial. I am a sceptic as to 

 the success of this in many cases, having tried both 

 sorts on this stream with very exasperating results. 

 In the first place, it was a jerky little stream, and 

 it twisted about here, there, and everywhere, accord- 

 ing to the rift in the spongy moor. And then the 

 trout did not take kindly to flies, at least not those 

 on the angler's line. It is so sometimes ; they will 

 not take the fly in a dashing style, and, as a natural 

 consequence, your fish is only just touched in the 

 lip. Up he springs, as though he intended to leave 

 the stream for good and all ; but he alters his mind, 

 goes down head first, darts under his rotten stump, 

 and rubs the hook out of his lip quick. Your rod 

 straightens, your line comes back to you, and your 

 trout is gone. You may move on to the next likely 



