ACROSS THE MOOR 303 



Out again the flies go, and immediately another 

 trout accepts the same fly. It duly pays the penalty. 

 In the first four casts we capture four trout, all very 

 fine fish ; but the first is slightly the best of the lot. 

 This is sport of a truly remarkable kind. We fish a 

 certain piece of water with the wet-fly, and receive 

 no response ; without any invitation from the water 

 in the shape of a rise to the natural fly, we try the 

 dry-fly over the same stretch, and with it take four 

 fish in as many casts, trout that would look well in 

 any company. 



We do not know the reason for such a pleasing 

 reception, but we venture to suggest an explanation. 

 Even on the stormiest day, there may be seen on the 

 loch lines of foam and long, oily lanes waving slightly 

 but not ruffled ; these persist and retain their 

 position for quite a long time. The angler on Loch 

 Leven must know them well and, if he will watch 

 how the boat edges its way across them, he will 

 realise fully that a boat seldom drifts straight down 

 wind, but at an angle to it, and so favours one 

 occupant of the craft more than the other. That, 

 however, is not the matter at present under dis- 

 cussion. 



Flies driving before the wind sooner or later arrive 

 at one of these foam-flecked patches, and there their 

 journey ends ; for a circle of froth surrounds each 

 of them, and prevents further movement. Results 

 seem to show that trout are well aware of this, and 

 that they He under such bits of water sucking down 

 the flies congregated there. So often have we caught 

 trout in these places, at times, too, when there was 

 nothing doing in other parts, that we have come to 

 regard a cast into a calm, frothy patch as very 



