PLT FISHING. 89 



where the green drake is not intimately known, as in many of the 

 rivers in the West of England, in which as we hefore remarked 

 their deficiency is supplied by the fern web or coch abonddu, which 

 sometimes swarm upon the river banks from the middle to the lat- 

 ter end of June, and so fond are the trout of this insect, that I 

 have known numbers of them taken by very clumsy fishermen, 

 when the waters have been so low from a long drought that it 

 would have been utterly hopeless for the roost skilful angler to 

 have looked for sport with any other kind of bait. As these 

 insects are but small, two, and sometimes three, and put on the 

 hook one after the other, by running the point of the hook into the 

 head, and bringing it out again at the tail ; it is of no conse- 

 quence the point of the hook showing, as it resembles so much the 

 legs of the insect that the fish seem to take no notice of it. It is 

 usually fished with on the top being quietly dropped over the 

 bushes, and played close in under the banks, or swam down the 

 rippling stickles. Sometimes I have found it a good plan, parti- 

 cularly where the waters are broken into rippling stickles, to sink 

 the baits, allowing them to drift down about mid water, as I also 

 have in the still deeps by sinking them to the bottom, and raising 

 them gradually towards the surface. The tab fly or black beetle 

 may also be fished with in the same manner as the fern web, and 

 when the latter is not up will answer remarkably well. Some- 

 times indeed I have known some fine trout taken by sinking the 

 green drake in very rapid parts of the stream, or where the waters 

 are broken into foam, as in lock holes or places of like kind ; suf- 

 ficient lead should be attached to the foot line to keep the baits 

 constantly beneath the surface, and I have known many trout caught 

 by this means when not a single fish could be moved in the more 

 tranquil parts of the stream. A grasshopper also used in the same 

 manner as the fern web, either on the top or sunk, is a very at- 

 tractive bait. A chafer is also said to be a good bait for trout, as 

 it doubtless is for a chub. I have tried it occasionally, but though 

 I have generally obtained a fair proportion of rises I have found 

 the trout too apt merely to nibble at it, and I have consequently 

 secured but few. 



The ant fly, or rather two or three on a small hook at the same 

 time, may like the fern web or grasshopper be fished with either at 

 the top or sunk beneath the surface ; but most of the other dap 

 flies are more successful when only floated at the top. This is par- 



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