April Fishing. 1 1 3 



stream and tempt the hungry trout to renew their 

 acquaintance with their long-lost surface-food. If 

 the morning be bright and warm, the flies will come 

 out early, and consequently the trout will take an 

 hour or two sooner than if it be dull and cold. The 

 "rise "is usually " on " between 10 and 11 A.M., 

 and may continue for twenty minutes or half an 

 hour, after which the flies go off, and it may be half 

 an hour, or even an hour, before they appear again. 

 These golden opportunities may be offered to the 

 angler three or four times during the day, according 

 to the state of the weather. Should the morning 

 dawn propitiously for the early appearance of the 

 flies, this little " fitful fever " will generally be over 

 for the day by 3 o'clock in the afternoon; but a 

 cold morning, by delaying the advent of the flies 

 till mid - day, or even 1 o'clock, will reduce the 

 fishing time to a few hours of the afternoon; if, 

 indeed, it do not altogether destroy the chances of 

 sport that day. As a general rule, to a successful 

 day's fishing at this season some progress towards 

 filling the basket would require to be made in the 

 forenoon. Good sport is sometimes obtained after 

 1 o'clock, but certainly the most hopeful sign is 

 the appearance of the favourite March brown in 

 the early hours of the day. 



Though the angler thus earnestly looks for the 

 appearance of the natural insect on the water, and 



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