4 6 



THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



almost any one, man or boy, who has the use of 

 his arms, and can throw five yards of line into the 

 water, without the instructions of a scientific 

 teacher, may catch trout by fishing well up a stream 

 after a spate or fresh, though not in such quantities 

 as a proficient in the art. The true secret of old 

 fly-fishers, who scarcely ever return with a light 

 creel, is only to go to the water when, from long 

 observation, they are almost certain that trouts will 

 rise. An old fly-fisher, who lived near Sanquhar, 

 and whom I have often fished with, up Spank and 

 down Crawick, in Ken, Scar, and Yeochan, once 

 told me, when I was questioning as to the secret of 

 his success, that for a gill of whisky he would tell 

 me how I might always succeed. It was a bargain. 

 "Ne'er fish but when trouts are hungry, and fish 

 aye where they're plenty." " But how am I to 

 know that?" "In troth," replied he, "I canna 

 verra well tell ye. But ye'll no find mony within 

 twa miles o' where ye can see at ae gliff, a manse, 

 a mill, and a public, nor nigh a place where tinklers 

 often camp. Trouts dinna seem inclined to take 

 their meat for a fortnight after sheep-washin', nor 

 when the water's verra high or verra low. They 

 dinna feed freely outher on a warm bright day nor 

 on a cauld dark ane ; and the feck o' them keep a 

 black fast in a' weathers, atween Michaelmas and 

 Easter." I have seen a lad sit down by the water- 

 side, near the head of Yeochan, and, with a few 

 threads from his bonnet and the feather of a 



