OF FROST AND SNOW 147 



that a white frost is often followed by 

 a change in the weather. Sir Douglas 

 Brooke has on his grouse mountain a 

 small loch absolutely crammed with very 

 small trout, but it is useless to fish for 

 these after a night's frost. Sir William 

 Dalgleish describes frost as bad for salmon 

 fishing in the Tay, and Captain Edge- 

 worth-Johnstone condemns it for Donegal 

 rivers generally. Mr. Black says that it 

 is fatal in the case of the Loch Levens 

 in the artificial loch near Edinburgh 

 referred to in previous chapters. As for 

 barbel, very few seem to be caught in the 

 winter months at all. Mr. Wheeley, who 

 has fished steadily through many winters on 

 the Thames and Wey, using leger-tackle 

 for perch, roach, and chub, has never 

 in his whole experience caught a winter 

 barbel. His best sport, on the contrary, 

 with that fish has been in warm weather, 

 after rain, with W. or S.W. wind. 1 The 



1 The first recorded winter barbel were two, of small 

 size, captured by bank anglers at Weybridge, February, 

 1906. The weather at the time was mild, and the water 

 was in flood. 



