36 FLY FISHING 



river starts from them towards the sea. There 

 is always something mysterious to me in looking 

 at these rivers, so little affected by the weather 

 of the moment, fed continually by secret springs, 

 flowing with a sort of swiftness, but for the most 

 part (except close to mills and large hatches) 

 silently, and with water which looks too pure 

 and clear for that of a river of common life. 



And now let the season be somewhere about 

 the middle of May, and let there be a holiday, 

 and the angler be at the Test or the Itchen, 

 and let us consider a day's fishing, which shall 

 be typical of many days in this month. The 

 wind shall be south-west, a perceptible breeze, 

 but with no squalls or rough manners; and 

 there shall be light clouds moving before it, 

 between which gleams of sunshine fall upon the 

 young leaves and woods for there are many fine 

 woods by the sides of water meadows. Granted 

 these first two conditions, it will follow that 

 the day is warm, with a temperature reaching 

 62 in the shade, the mean temperature for 

 midsummer, but a very suitable maximum for 

 a day in May. It is almost certain that there 

 will be a rise of trout at some time during the 



