148 ENGLISH LAKE DISTRICT FISHERIES 



the middle of May to the end of June is the best 

 time for fishing. September is fairly good ; July 

 is unfavourable and unproductive. In practice, 

 Nos. 2, 3 and 4 hooks, according to wind and 

 weather, will be found most successful. A common 

 failing, and one which causes disappointment, is 

 using hooks which are too large. 



The best general flies for spring fishing are 

 dark snipe and purple, woodcock and orange, 

 teal and claret, partridge and grouse hackles. 

 For autumn fishing, Zulu, August dun, coch-y- 

 bundu, red hackle, black hackle. In warm 

 weather fish may be taken at night with the 

 bustard and moth, although at this time almost 

 any reddish or brown fly succeeds as well. 



Throughout June the natural bracken-clock is 

 greedily taken on the tarns and will kill for a 

 fortnight after it has disappeared from the low- 

 lands. When all other flies fail a small coachman 

 often proves effective, and this is a good general 

 fly. Worm fishing is occasionally practised but 

 does not prove specially deadly. 



The angler who indulges in tarn fishing should 

 burden himself as little as possible, as there are 

 few forms of sport which entail harder work. A 

 light 10 ft. or 10 J ft. rod will do all that is 

 required; and the "Perfect" cork-handle, green- 

 heart trout rods of this description made by Messrs. 

 Farlow, of the Strand, are ideal for the purpose. 

 With one of these the writer has fished most of 

 the tarns in the Lake District, and nothing could 

 be more useful or appropriate. They will kill any 

 fish the angler is likely to come across, and for 

 lightness and effectiveness nothing could be 

 better. 



