124 P^h Fishing for Trout, 



Red Spinner, and immediately rose a fish ; and 

 with this fly and the Major I had taken, before 

 three o'clock, twelve fish, weighing twenty-four 

 pounds, one very nearly four pounds, and this was 

 as fine a specimen of the Salmo fario as you could 

 wish to see ; his silver sides and black spots were 

 more like a Salmo triitta^ and he cut as red as a 

 salmon. 



After nearly twenty-five years I have had, 

 through the kindness of Lord Ailesbury and Sir 

 Francis Burdett, three days' fishing in my old 

 haunts on this magnificent river. Two days at 

 Savernake and one at Ramsbury. The first day 

 (or rather only a few hours, as I was unable to 

 leave town early) I found the small Alder and 

 the Coachman, and in the late evening, the 

 large Alder, very " 'ticing." The second day a 

 small Red Spinner and the Wickham's fancy were 

 the best flies. The fish would not move in the 

 morning. With the Sedge fly, or Major, I did little 

 or nothing. In the evening a rather larger Red 

 Spinner gave me good sport, and I landed some 

 fine fish. As the number of fish to be taken is 

 limited, many pound fish were returned to the 

 water. The next day, at Ramsbury, with much 

 thunder about and rattling showers, the sport was 

 wonderful. With a small Alder — and as the weeds 

 were plentiful I only fished with one fly — I rose 



