1GO CIRCIMMAN' BS AFFECTING SPORT. 



them up to two pounds, and one of nearly four they were 

 caught with a good- sized alder; and often in just the 

 same weather have I had capital sport with the cocktail 

 in the Wandle, and that is by no means an easy stream 

 either to kill fish on in such weather. And if the fish do 

 not rise well in the hot day, they generally make up for 

 it in the evening. Yet, so uncertain is angling, that even 

 here the angler may reckon without his host; for after 

 such a day a fog may get up, when (and this is almost the 

 only tolerably certain rule that I know of in respect to 

 weather) the trout almost invariably cease feeding. I 

 have tried hard to account for this, and I think it may be 

 that the fog is caused by evaporation induced by the sud- 

 den cold upon the water warmed by the hot sun; that 

 this sudden chill, evidenced by the evaporation, checks 

 the hatching and development of the flies, and the fish are 

 stopped from rising in consequence of the absence of fly. 

 I have reason to believe, however, that the change by no 

 means prevents their feeding on the bottom, and at such 

 time ground food will not be refused. Fish will not feed 

 either in a rapidly falling water, and if there be mills on 

 the stream they will often spoil the best evening's sport 

 by drawing down the water ; at such a time the only chance 

 an angler will have of a fish will be in some snug corner, 

 under an overhanging bank in the open stream his efforts 

 will be fruitless. 



There are, however, many extraneous circumstances 

 which have much to do with the feeding of all fish, and 

 which the angler will have to take into consideration, 

 and which affect rather disastrously many of our best 

 streams, as sheep-washing, mine water, drainage, &c., and 

 by which the likeliest day nay, the likeliest week may 

 be seriously damaged. A year or two since I had two 

 splendid days at the May fly spoilt by sheep-washing, and 

 since then I have often had my best days spoilt. All that 



