TROUT FISHING. 165 



larly when fish are well fed, is the time to see who is, 

 and who is not, an angler. 



About ninety in a hundred fancy themselves anglers. 

 About one in a hundred is an angler. About ten in a 

 hundred throw the hatchet better than a fly. Here we 

 take the average. Now for a few very common faults. 

 One who lets his fly lie too long in the water, after 

 dropping it, is a better killer of time than of fish. He 

 who tries to land a large fish against weeds and stream, 

 when he can take him down, or allows a fish so much 

 line as to be able to rub his nose against the bottom, 

 may be considered as one in need of a Asking-master. 

 Enough, however, of defects. I will now, therefore, 

 take in hand the best fly rod I have (which was made 

 by the late Mr. Higginbotham*), and a set of tackle, 

 as made to my order, by Chevalier (No. 12, Bell Yard, 

 Temple Bar), with a pen and ink before me. Though 

 I should first premise, that I only speak of fishing in a 

 trout stream. I have no right to go further, because a 

 man cannot be answerable for what he publishes, unless 

 all his statements and representations are faithfully 

 written on the spot, and with the materials before him. 

 The directions for a two-handed fly rod (for trout in a 

 small river), I leave to those who can see the use of it; 

 for my own part, I can see none, except to drop the 

 natural may-fly with, or to facilitate the art to those 



* Mr. Higginbotham was, to my fancy, the best fly rod maker in 

 the kingdom. His successor was Mr. Clark, who retired from the 

 business, which is now carried on in the best possible manner, by 

 Messrs. Willingham, 91, Strand. Chevalier's/or/e is a trolling- 

 rod, flies, and tackle. In naming these makers of fishing tackle, it 

 would be improper not to say, however, that Ustonson, Holmes,, 

 Bowness, and many others, are also excellent performers. 



