104 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



Thus the fisherman is kept two or three days from 

 his sport. And he may as well go home when the 

 waxing begins, though the water is clear, and the 

 rise is imperceptible, except in the way I have 

 mentioned ; for it is a singular truth that the salmon 

 will not take the fly into his mouth when this change 

 takes place, though he will often rise to it, and leap 

 over it. This fact is so well known, that no experi- 

 enced person on the Tweed thinks of fishing during 

 such an occurrence. This waxing commences sooner 

 or later, according to the violence or quantity of the 

 rain that has fallen, and the situation where the 

 storm breaks. In a moderate spate, with a westerly 

 wind, it is seen at Melrose about ten or twelve hours 

 after the rain, more or less. If the wind is very 

 violent, also, the water which is blown out of the 

 lakes will make the river rise slightly ; but in that 

 case no change of colour will afterwards take place.* 

 ' Ye can no fish the day ; so I wud hae ye advised 

 to gang after the patrigs." 



So indeed I did, auspice Wattie, who, to my sur- 

 prise, seemed somewhat loth to attend me. We 

 found birds Arno stood we shot to the top of our 

 bent ; and Wattie would have marked well, but for 

 one failing, which, lover as he was of the sport, he 

 could not overcome. This failing, to call it by the 

 mildest name, was an apprehension of evil, which 

 possessed him to that absurd degree that he sculked 



* I do not think that this is an invariable rule. I have found 

 ihe first of a rise a very likely time for killing a fish on several rivers, 

 especially after a longish drought. It undoubtedly wakes the salmon 

 up. But when the colour begins to come down the chance lessens 

 rapidly. (ED.) 



