WET FLY TROUT FISHING 141 



complained of, and this is the sort of complaint 

 that is very frequent on north country rivers. 

 Whether it is really founded upon fact, or 

 whether it is only an impression, I cannot say. 

 I have seen no actual records of average weight 

 in other years which enable me to make com- 

 parisons between them and those of the present 

 day, and we are apt to remember the larger and 

 forget the smaller trout of our youth, just as we 

 so often retain an isolated memory of very hot 

 days in summer, or very cold days and deep 

 snows in winter, and take these to be typical of 

 what the respective seasons used to be in earlier 

 years. Another river of which I often think, 

 though it is about twenty years since I have seen 

 it, is the Dart. Here too the average weight of 

 the trout is small, as it seems to be in all west 

 country rivers, but I did not hear upon the Dart 

 the same complaints of a falling off in size. It 

 must not, however, be supposed that there are 

 not large trout in these rivers. I have seen a 

 yellow trout, which weighed several ounces over 

 two pounds, landed from a clear stream in the 

 Coquet on fine tackle in July, but such things 

 are exceptional ; and in my own experience, even 



