JUNE 87 



your knowledge, and all your skill against a fish as 

 strong as a salmon, with many times his experience of 

 how to avail himself of his local surroundings. Further, 

 it is to be remembered that it is not in the clear water 

 of a salmon river that this battle must be fought out, 

 but rather in the midst of a growth of water-weed, 

 which bears a strong family resemblance to an African 

 jungle. This is the time when the strong gut comes 

 into play, and when, if one loses control for one instant, 

 the game is up, and the angler is left lamenting. 



It was too near the commencement of the Mayfly 

 season, however, for the big fish to be taking kindly to 

 the fly, and as regards trout this situation was drawn 

 blank, so I resumed operations by wading across a 

 shallow covered with weed, and was soon into another 

 2-pounder. 



Then the morning rise went off, and ample time was left 

 for a stroll up the water, and the mid-day sandwich and 

 post-prandial pipe. Towards four o'clock the fly came 

 up again, but not as in the morning in single spies, but 

 in battalions, and the plop, plop ! splash, splash ! of rising 

 fish resounded on every side. The bright yellow-winged 

 mayfly did tremendous execution, and fish after fish was 

 taken, which, as one was fishing for sport and not for the 

 pot, were returned to keep up the stock. About five 

 o'clock another 2-pounder took the fly, and was played 

 and netted while one stood knee-deep in a shallow. 

 The net, however, an old and trusted friend, failed me, 

 for, being rotten from age, the bottom strands gave way 

 while the fish was being carried ashore, and in an instant 

 the astonished fish was again in the water, and the angler, 

 in a similar state of mind, was playing him through the 

 net. The captive took refuge in a tuft of weeds, 

 whence he was hauled out by the gills, and is carried 

 ashore plus a bundle of vegetables. His romantic 

 capture, however, lost him his life, and he was added to 

 the others in the fishing bag. 



Now the fun is nearly over, for the trout are pretty 

 well gorged for the day, and only the coarse fish 

 continue to rise. So after one or two casts on a little 



