68 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



was situated. Upon my arrival, I made a call on the 

 holder of the next stretch, and in the course of our 

 conversation he told me that, in his opinion, I should 

 find the trout were well forward. He based his view 

 upon the fair rises of fly that he had seen during the 

 last fortnight. He also told me that he had noticed a 

 lot of small fish about on the shallows, and considered 

 the river better stocked with trout than it had been 

 for some years back. 



While standing talking to him on the bridge I saw 

 quite a fair rise of fly and the trout taking them freely, 

 so, wasting no more time, I strolled off up the water 

 meadows to a nice little double bend in the river. 

 Here one or two good fish were rising at the few flies 

 that were hatching out. I tried first with an India- 

 rubber Olive, and popped it over where a dimpled rise 

 had shown, a little way up near my own bank. Owing to 

 a fairly strong downstream wind my first two casts were 

 wide, but the third sailed fairly over, but without any 

 response. Another trial was made, but evidently the 

 fly was wrong, and I changed to a Wickham, while 

 meantime my quarry took another fly as it passed ever 

 him. At the first cast with the Wickham he took it, and 

 I landed him, a lanky 12in. fish, certainly not in 

 condition. I duly returned him to his native element, 

 and, while doing so, saw the fly on the water a pale 

 Blue Quill. This I put up, and fished a rise about 

 twenty yards above the last. This fish at once rose 

 and fastened, but was small, though better-conditioned, 

 and rejoined No. 1 in the river. 



In a sharp stickle above the fish rose merrily, and I 

 had three out in no time, all small, duly returned; these 

 ran from Sin. to lOin. in length, and were plump little 

 fish- On the shallows below the sluice I saw a good 

 fish lying where the water rippled over ; he was 

 evidently grubbing, though occasionally he rose and 

 took a fly ; it was an awkward cast against wind, among 

 trees, and nearly across stream. A lucky shot dropped 

 the fly just on the ed?e of the stickle, and as it came 

 over up he came, and down it went. He made a 



