SOUTH COUNTRY ANGLING 5 



flowing. I should say that the Barle of Somerset, 

 and the Test of Hampshire, are both perfect trout 

 streams in their widely different ways. Two more 

 widely differing trout streams it would be impossi- 

 ble to name ; and this brings me, by a natural 

 enough transition, to the subject of the diverse 

 modes of angling which must be put into practice 

 by the fisherman who desires to feel at home on 

 the trouting waters generally of the south. 



The methods of angling for trout in the south 

 are perhaps fewer in number than those of the 

 north. We nowhere, I fancy, practise what is 

 known on the Borders as creeper or stone-fly 

 fishing — an interesting and exciting pursuit it 

 must be — and the use of the natural May-fly 

 which is still resorted to a good deal in certain 

 Derbyshire waters and elsewhere, is now with us 

 practically unknown. Fishing with the artificial 

 minnow is far commoner in the north than in the 

 south, and so is Stewart's extremely skilful style 

 of worm fishing up stream in dry hot weather, 

 when the water is too low for sport with the fly. 

 The south country methods of angling for trout 

 may be set down as three in number, — namely, 

 wet fly, dry fly, and artificial minnow. Worm fish- 

 ing by the coarse methods may, no doubt, be 

 resorted to now and again by casual and unam- 

 bitious anglers ; but it frequently happens that 

 trout taken with a worm are taken by pure acci- 

 dent — that is, the angler has baited his hook far 

 more in expectation of securing some so-called 

 coarse fish than with the deliberate intention of 

 trout fishing. Stewart's scientific method of de- 

 liberately fishing for trout with a w^orm is a very 

 different thing ; but, as I have said, that method 



