io 4 FLY FISHING 



rise, and this fact alone made our Winchester 

 fishing different from any other. For the per- 

 fect enjoyment of sport the hours of daylight 

 should be all our own. "You cannot compel 

 fish," as an old Scotch keeper used to say when 

 salmon fishing, and an angler needs to have 

 such freedom that, if need be, he can wait for 

 hours upon the will of the fish, and be ready 

 to take advantage of their mood at any moment. 

 This freedom to fit one's own time to suit 

 the changes of sport is essential to the very 

 fullest enjoyment of a day's angling. Every 

 angler should take some pride in being able 

 to satisfy the often prolonged demands made 

 upon his patience, but to appreciate this exercise 

 of patience he ought to feel that there is no 

 reason for hurry, and if he has only one hour 

 to spend by the river, this is just what he does 

 not feel. At school the hours are rigid : it 

 cannot be otherwise, and so far from having 

 any complaint to make, I hope to show that 

 we were at Winchester more fortunate in our 

 opportunities for fishing than might, all things 

 considered, have been expected. I will not say 

 that we always thought so at the time. The 



