NIGHT-FISHING 131 



in a much wider scope of objects than a cursory consideration 

 would give him credit for, and the more so as his eye is 

 peculiarly adapted to his element in this respect, as affording 

 him increased facilities for seeing his way to a living in the 

 world. The organ of sight is the chief one upon which fish rely, 

 and is much more keenly developed than any other. Feeling is 

 probably the next sense in proportionate development, as the 

 nervous organisation of fish is usually rather full and perfect, 

 and the slightest vibration in the water is felt by them appar- 

 ently instantaneously. Taste and smell are no doubt also 

 tolerably acute, but I do not think hearing is of so much 

 consequence to them as some of the other senses ; though the 

 angler will not find a loud or unusual noise in any way advan- 

 tageous to him. 



The size of flies to be used must be regarded by the water to 

 be fished to some extent, but it is as common a fault to fish 

 with too small flies as it is to use too large ones. On very well 

 preserved and much-fished streams, as the Wandle, for example, 

 very small flies are the favourite cast, but I have often seen a 

 coarser one, with larger flies, beat it hollow ; particularly if a 

 little wind prevails. The angler should, if he finds his small 

 flies useless, try a size or two larger, and sink them a few inches. 



I will now give a few simple and useful directions as to night- 

 fishing, but I may premise that I wish night-fishing were 

 generally abandoned, for I believe it materially injures the day- 

 fishing, by rendering the fish much more shy than they would 

 naturally be if only fished for in the day-time. There ought to 

 be some period during the twenty-four hours when the trout 

 can feed safely without disturbance or the fear of a hook before 

 them ; but as fly-fishing is now conducted there is not ; and 

 this naturally makes the fish suspicious of every lure, while big 

 trout get so shy that they seldom, in small streams, get into 

 really good condition at all. Unfortunately where night- 

 fishing has been practised it is useless, after June, to fish until 

 late in the evening, unless in very favourable weather indeed. 



For night-fishing, the fewer flies the angler uses the better. 

 He should never use more than two under any circumstances, 

 and even one is better, as the slightest hitch or tangle, which 

 in the daylight would be of no consequence, becomes fatal in the 

 dark. It is desirable always to put up two casts, a spare one 

 for a change being round the hat. These casts need not be long, 

 a yard and a half of gut for one fly, and two yards for two, is 

 quite long enough ; any gut does, and it is as well to use it 



