174 GRAYLING FISHING. 



times the water is literally alive with them, and 

 they will not even look at the fly the most morti- 

 fying thing on earth to a fisherman. 



I have before alluded to wading, and I must say, 

 for those who are not afraid of the water, it is a most 

 decided advantage; you are enabled to throw a 

 shorter line, and have much better chance of hook- 

 ing your fish ; you can cross the river to fish either 

 side at your option ; and you can fish under bushes, 

 and in places which the shoal fisher is unable to get 

 at three of the most important points in fishing 

 with the fly. 



That one sometimes meets with disagreeable ad- 

 ventures in consequence I cannot deny, as rather a 

 ludicrous one happened to myself not very long 

 ago. I had commenced fishing at the top of a weir- 

 head, and as the river was very low, and the sun 

 shining very brightly over my head, I had picked 

 my way along some shelving rocks for a consider- 

 able distance till within about fifty yards of the weir 

 itself. On each side of me were high alder trees, 

 and I had most extraordinary luck, hanging a fine 

 grayling almost at every cast under the bushes. 



' Just however as I was thinking of beating a re- 

 treat a cloud came over the sun, and rendered the 

 water as black as ink. It was a long way back to 

 the ford where I had entered, and I determined on 

 endeavouring to proceed straight to the side, and 

 feeling my way with my rod till within about 



