CROSS-LINING 229 



In the Tweed, and indeed in some other rivers, 

 they have a method of fishing which is called 

 trolling in Scotland, 1 but cross angling in England, 

 where it is practised with the natural May-fly for 

 catching trout. In trolling for salmon, two men 

 stand opposite to one another on either side of the 

 stream, each with a rod in hand ; their lines are 

 joined together, and from the bow which this 

 junction creates about half-a-dozen flies are sus- 

 pended vertically. Of course there can be no 

 casting of the line ; but the flies are hung in the 

 stream, and passed over it, the fishermen trailing 

 them, and acting in concert ; thus, by means of 

 the number of flies, and the saving of time by not 

 having the line to throw, a great quantity of water 

 is gone over in a short space of time. But this 

 sweeping method has its drawbacks, and very serious 

 ones they are. Out of the number of fish that 

 offer, very few are taken ; many get only a touch 

 of the hook, and escape, and are thus entirely lost 

 to the proprietor of the part of the river where this 

 occurs ; for, generally speaking, fish so alarmed quit 

 the water the same night, and travel upwards. I 

 remember a singular instance of this occurred to 

 me in the Pavilion-water. 



The river was very low and clear at the time ; 

 so much so, that it was in good order for sunning, 

 and therefore in no state for fish to travel in. I 

 chanced, however, to hook a salmon with a fly, 

 which, after being played a little, got off the hook : 

 there was a cairn just above the spot where this 



1 The term is obsolete, and the practice (now known as cross-lining) 

 is illegal. ED. 



