136 FISHERMEN'S WEATHER 



trout on the feed. I also incline to the 

 belief that the disturbance of the water 

 may temporarily increase oxygenation. 

 Be this as it may, I have for years, when 

 fishing in the spring in the Tweed or 

 Border streams, always looked upon a 

 hailstorm as a good omen, and have never 

 failed to fish during the fall. 



" In April 1905 I was fishing in the 

 Eamont (Cumberland), and the day was 

 as bad and as unpropitious as it could be : 

 dull, leaden clouds, a bitter N.E. wind, 

 and not a trace of insect life visible. 

 There had been a frost in the morning. 

 Up to 12 o'clock I had taken only a few 

 under-sized trout, which were returned. 

 About 12.30 a heavy storm of hail and 

 sleet broke on the river. This had not 

 lasted ten minutes before I noticed a few 

 large light-coloured March Browns float- 

 ing down, and a few scattered rises were 

 also evident. In a brief space of time I 

 took ten good-sized trout, though I had 

 fished the same water unavailingly before. 

 The flies were fished wet and allowed to 



