JUNE 79 



on the morrow. Everything is put in readiness, lines are 

 greased, gut put to damp, and flies prepared. 



The day rises grey and misty and inclined to rain, but 

 the inclination is not given way to. A light breeze blows 

 upstream and the hopes of the fishers rise high, as, 

 about breakfast time, the sun breaks through the clouds. 

 The morning is put in wandering by the bank of the 

 river, and an odd fish is taken with the Alder in the 

 forenoon. At five the rise commences, and in half-an- 

 hour the scene of yesterday is repeated, and the river 

 seems alive with fish. Plunge, plunge ! flop, flop ! 

 resounds on every side, while the martins skim the 

 water hither and thither, picking up what flies escape 

 the fishes. But though all appears favourable, the gut 

 fine single-drawn 20-inch, the line straight, and the fly 

 comes down without drag, nothing more than a false 

 rise results, the fly passing on its course untouched by 

 the fish. After many changes of different patterns by 

 the best makers, a dark-winged, straw-bodied fly is 

 borrowed from a neighbour, and then one gets an odd 

 fish drowning the fly. Once or twice a slight pull is 

 felt, but I am convinced that this is only from the fly 

 touching or catching on the fish's body, as on striking 

 the fly comes away. Later on, however, after the rise 

 proper is over, a couple of brace of small but sizeable 

 fish are stalked and captured. It has been frequently 

 stated that when the fish are not taking the perfect fly 

 wellj the wingless pattern, which is supposed to imitate 

 the larvae, should be used. This was put on during the 

 heat of the rise, and was fished upstream wet and dry, 

 and downstream, both with and without jerking the rod 

 top. Nothing whatever came at it. The artificial per- 

 fect mayfly was constantly picked off the water by the 

 birds after it had passed over a rising fish, which will 

 not look at it. 



The mystery explains itself next day. The weather 

 having completely changed in the night, the day breaks 

 cold and windy, with a N.E. wind and rain. I determine 

 to devote the first quarter-of-an-hour of the rise to 

 watching the movements of the fish, so choosing a 



