70 BROOK AND RIVER TROUTING 



and persevering man to make a basket under conditions 

 suitable for sporting upstream worming. 



The use of the worm during the first few months 

 of the season cannot be defended, whether the river 

 be low and clear, or running strong with the Spring 

 freshets ; for seldom a day passes at that time of the 

 year without a rise at some part of it during which 

 trout will take a fly, and, while that is the case, what 

 true disciple of Walton would use any other lure ? 



The season therefore when the worm can fairly be 

 used is restricted to the time of low clear waters 

 during the hottest part of the summer, when the trout 

 have ceased to rise freely to the fly in the day-time, 

 a period of some eight or ten weeks, beginning about 

 the loth of June. The Stone Fly is usually over by 

 that date. Any antipathy to worm fishing under those 

 conditions in our North Country Rivers is difficult to 

 understand, for it provides a most sporting variety of 

 fishing during the blazing days of summer when the 

 fly is hopeless. And unless a man is prepared to work 

 hard in the blistering sun, uijless he has a good 

 knowledge of the habits of trout, and is able to show 

 a fair amount of skill, both in approaching his fish and 

 in throwing the worm, his basket will be a light one. 



Many are the days during the latter part of June 

 and the month of July when the man who fishes fly 

 only will return home with but an odd fish or so to 

 show for his day's outing. That may satisfy the 



