WEED CUTTING. 41 



But some of the chief points that ought to be had in mind may be touched 

 upon. The chief desiderata, where there is an ample supply of weed, are, 

 to put the matter very shortly, to cut in the deeper parts of the river lanes 

 along both banks some ten feet wide, and in the shallower parts to 

 cut bars or lanes across the water at right angles to the banks. At 

 the same time lanes should, also, be cut parallel to the banks, to encourage 

 the bank fish. Where weed is not in abundance recourse must be had to 

 artificial shelters, or hides, under which the fish can obtain the shelter that 

 they require. Stakes driven into the river bed soon attract a clinging 

 mass of floating weed, the only drawback to their being used is that hooked 

 fish may be lost through their bolting for and round them. Piles driven 

 into the shallows afford a welcome rest to fish, and it will be found that a 

 trout will nearly always take up his position behind them. Similarly, big 

 stones placed in the shallows will have a beneficial effect. 



The constant and irregular cutting of weeds has, moreover, a very 

 trying effect both upon the sport and the temper of an angler. Huge 

 masses of weed floating down, just at the moment when the hatch of fly, 

 so patiently waited for, is in full swing, and the fish in the mood 

 to take them, will sorely tax our powers of self-control. How often 

 has such a state of things extracted from us a " swear word " ! These 

 very weeds may, nevertheless, be made to serve a useful purpose. There 

 is a fine fish lying a yard or so from the opposite bank ; the stream 

 between us is heavy and quick ; over the fish is an oily glide of water, 

 the pace of the stream being checked by friction with the river bank. On 

 this the duns float steadily, led by the stream into its embrace. Our friend 

 the trout knows this full well, and therefore persistently takes up his 

 station at that spot. We have often tried for him, but the pace of 

 the stream between us, stand where we will, has always beaten us : 

 no sooner has our well-cocked fly sailed into the head of the glide 

 than it is hurried across it, leaving a most unnatural trail, or wake, 

 behind it such as no living insect ever made. This trail of the serpent, 

 or "drag" as it is called, is one of the greatest difficulties that we 

 have to cope with in angling with the floating fly. It is, like the poor, 

 always with us. But the very weeds we have been so persistently 

 abusing may be brought into our service to overcome it. Watch a 

 mass of floating weed that is about to be carried over the position 



G 



