WHERE TO FISH. 253 



The waters wild close o'er the child, 

 And you are left lamenting. 



And serve you right, too. Oh, yes, put up another fly in a 

 hurry, and fish aw-iy as hard as you can, of course, for the 

 next half hour ; he is sure to come to you again, isn't he ? 

 And then you come home and find that Jones, who isn't 

 half as good a fisherman as you are, and is only patient 

 and painstaking, has a couple of much better fish than 

 any you have. ' Ah ! if you'd only but no matter, you 

 won't be had in that way again.' Perhaps not. I strongly 

 object to a lazy fisherman. 



If the weather be calm you may fish the windward 

 shore, but calm days as a rule are not good for lake fishing. 

 If there be a streak of foam, as there usually is on brisk 

 days, pitch your fly into it and you will often be rewarded, 

 as many flies get entangled in the froth and cannot get 

 out of it : the fish know this well. (I forget where I have 

 read this advice I fancy it is Stoddart's but it is good 

 advice.) Choose for preference the little sandy bays and 

 pebbly strands ; fish the edges of weeds or reeds very 

 carefully they are favourite harbours for the best fish. 

 Wherever you see little islets of rock or cairns, by no means 

 pass them without a trial. If trees border the loch, under 

 them will be found the scaly prey waiting for whatever 

 heaven or the wind may send them by shaking the leaves. 

 Where streams and rivulets enter the lake, you should be 

 particularly sedulous in your attentions, as here you will 

 l)e sure to find sport of the best. If when in a boat you 

 hook a good fish, remember that the first thing he will 

 inevitably do is to dart off' the shallow into the deeper 

 water ; take care that in doing so he does not dart under 

 the boat, as not unfrequently happens. Nothing is so 

 absurd as to see a stalwart angler with his rod perfectly 

 upright and the fish gone under his feet. You have not 

 the least power over a fish that has served you so ; and if 



