When to Fish for Trout, 127 



busies his head too much about them, if the weather 

 be not made extreme cold by an east wind, shall be 

 a little superstitious, for as it is observed by some, 

 there is no good horse of a bad colour, so I have 

 observed, that if it be a cloudy day and not ex- 

 treme cold, let the wind set in what corner it will, 

 and do its worst, I heed it not." ^ Although much 

 stress has been laid on the wind, and, as every fly- 

 fisher knows, a balmy, breezy, cloudy day, with the 

 wind from the south or west will give a better chance 

 of sport, yet that cannot always be commanded, 

 and when one is obliged to take the day as it is, 

 whatever the wind or weather may be, experience 

 tells me that many a good day's sport has been 

 had with the wind in the north or in the east ; in 

 fact, let the wind do its worst, I heed it not. I can 

 remember having capital sport in some open water 

 in Hertfordshire years ago, the wind from the north- 

 east, and snowing all day. 



Some people advocate early and late fishing, leav- 

 ing the middle of the day to rest. Walton was an 

 early fisherman, and gives from five a.m. to nine a.m. 

 as the best time. Fisher, in his " Angler's Souvenir," 

 and others, say that in clear water and bright 

 weather it is useless to fish except before eight a.m. 



^ Jesse states that it is useless to fish if the water is below 

 fifty-five or sixty degrees but this is not at all to be depended 

 upon. 



