102 ANGLING FOR GAME FISH. 



the season); Corry Lair; and in Loclis Docliart, Ericht, and 

 Fruchie. They are found in a number of lakes, large and 

 small, in Ireland, and in the smaller lakes will sometimes 

 rise to the fly. In Lough Oonn a char was once taken on 

 a salmon-fly. In Wales, char take the fly freely, but in the 

 Cumberland and Westmoreland lakes they do not come much 

 to the surface, or into shallow water, except when spawning. 

 They are said to take the fly in Goat's Water and Hawes 

 Water. The average size of this fish is something under 41l>. 

 One of the largest ever taken was caught on a spinning bait, 

 last year, in Windermere, by Mr. Higham, of Bowness; it 

 weighed 21b. loz. Besides torgoch, char are termed gally-trout, 

 red-wame, and murneen. These fish are excellent eating, and 

 potted char is a well-known delicacy. At Howietoun, char have 

 been successfully interbred with trout. The offspring are not 

 sterile, as might have been expected. 



For fly-fishing, very fine tackle should be used, and there 

 may be three, or even four, flies on the cast. The flies should 

 be drawn slowly, and the rod-point kept low, so that they 

 sink a little below the surface. Indeed, a shot or two to sink 

 the flies may sometimes be added with advantage. Char, when 

 inclined to rise, are not very particular in the matter of flies. 

 Ordinary lake-flies, dressed small, are commonly used. A 

 Red Spinner, with gold twist, I have known kill in Ireland ; and, 

 generally speaking, a little gold twist or tinsel, and a bit of 

 colour, are advisable. Mr. H. R. Francis, a veteran fly-fisher, 

 says the following fly has special attractions for char. It is 

 a variation of one of Mr. Colquhoun's flies : Bright red land- 

 rail wing, yellowish red hackle and body. There should be 

 a second hackle, with some fine gold twist, carried Palmer 

 fashion down the body. When the fish will not take the 

 flies cast in the usual manner, the cast should be shotted, 

 and trailed very slowly after the boat at the end of a long 

 line. 



Spinning for char is much practised on Windermere, where 

 the local fishermen use a contrivance known as a " plumb-line." 

 The angler should use ordinary brook-trout spinning tackle 

 (see page 71), and for bait a Devon, quill minnow, or blue 



