54 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



pool, while the float bobbed about at the throat of that 

 nice, oily eddy. Still the fish rose, so, hope springing 

 eternal, a fresh rig was fitted. Just as the cast was to 

 be made the sun went behind a cloud and down came the 

 rain in torrents ; as a consequence the light silk line 

 refused emphatically to leave the wet reel or to travel 

 through the dripping rod-rings. However, all was not 

 lost, though it was by now past one o'clock, for the 

 rain had calmed the wind ; and gathering together the 

 paraphernalia once more, I retraced my steps to the 

 deep swim. On arriving there I found my friend, 

 having only taken two or three fish of about lb. to fib. 

 had bethought him that there might be a disturbing 

 element below as well as above the surface ; he rigged 

 up a paternoster, baited it with a ^-pounder on a single 

 hook, cast it into the hole, and at once got a run. 

 Forgetting that he had only a single hook, he at once 

 struck, and the bait came away greatly mangled. He 

 rebaited and tried again, giving a little more law, and 

 this time played the fish, a good pike of 81b. to 91b., for 

 some minutes ; again the hook came away and the 

 expected victim made off. 



At this juncture I arrived to resume roach-fishing ; 

 of course, after this disturbance, such a thing was out 

 of the question ; so, putting some more ground-bait in 

 above the swim for the fishes, we commenced to feed 

 ourselves. About 2.30 we once more sat down to fish ; 

 the wind had died down, the light was good, the water 

 was a nice colour, and we determined to make the last 

 three or four hours' pay for the disappointments of the 

 day. Just as we are preparing to start a bunch of 

 floating weed came down close to our bank ; and looking 

 up stream a terrible sight met our eyes. A perfect shoal 

 of cut weeds and rubbish was coming down, extending 

 for about two yards out into the stream. Some floated, 

 some were in mid-water, and others drifted along the 

 bottom, making sport absolutely hopeless. The stuff 

 was evidently dislodged from somewhere higher up, and 

 had been blown under our bank by the wind. 



After this procession had gone by for an hour without 



