MAY 71 



ON THE TEST. 



THE Test, the home of the dry-fly, is the water garden 

 of England, with its chalky white bottom, its brilliant 

 weeds and its diamond-bright water; there live those 

 educated trout whose very existence seems to be 

 scouted by the North Country fly-fisher. 



I shall never forget my first introduction to the Test. 

 The portion on which I got the opportunity to fish 

 was noted for the size of its trout. There were not 

 many of them ; but what there were were good. And 

 didn't those fish know something! The advent of the 

 angler forty yards below stopped any attempt at rising 

 on the part of one fish, which previously had been 

 taking every Olive that came over it. How gently the 

 fish rose, and how it would examine the fly, almost 

 touching it with the snout, hovering below, following it 

 down, and finally sinking disgustedly out of sight. 



The first time I saw a rise of fly I was out on a 

 shallow, exploring the river, carrying all my impedimenta, 

 such as spare rod, &c., with me. 



All around me suddenly the fish commenced to rise, 

 occasionally taking the floating insect, but as a rule 

 attacking the nymphae as they came towards the 

 surface. The spare rod was clapped under the left arm, 

 the waterproof, rod-bag, &c., were stuck under the 

 shoulder strap, and to work I got. I had had some years' 

 experience of dry-fly fishing on other rivers, and flattered 

 myself that I had some little knowledge of this branch of 

 the art ; my first cast resulted in the rising fish bolting 

 as if I had thrown a brick at him. I put on a lighter 

 cast and tried another close under the bank ; he took 

 the fly and at once bolted into the weeds, and the 

 hook came " unstuck." No. 3 I put down, and then I 

 saw no more rising fish that day. 



I returned to London perfectly convinced that Test 

 trout know, as a rule, rather more than the anglers. 

 That is why they have survived. I know as a fact that 

 last summer four past-masters, fishing strictly preserved 

 water, did not bring home a sizeable trout in a week's 



