WORM-FISHING IN HILL BURNS. l6l 



any other condition of the water, which is a con- 

 siderable inducement, notwithstanding the coarse- 

 ness of the practice, to try it occasionally. When 

 several floods occur in succession about the month 

 of July, trout become gorged with worms, and do 

 not take at all readily, either during the time of 

 the flood or even when the waters are once more 

 in bait-fishing order small and clear; apparently 

 they get enough of worms to satisfy them for the 

 season. In flooded waters, the morning will gene- 

 rally be found the best time, unless in the early part 

 of the season, when the heat of the day is always 

 favourable. 



Fishing with the worm in hill-burns, like fish- 

 ing in flooded waters, is not a very attractive 

 sport, and requires but little of the skill necessary 

 for successful worm-fishing in rivers and waters 

 when they are small and clear. If the banks of 

 the burn are open that is to say, if it runs over a 

 stony channel the best way is to use a short rod 

 and fish up in the usual manner. But if, as is 

 frequently the case, the banks almost meet over 

 the burn, the only plan is to drop the worm in 

 and follow it down. There is no danger of the 

 trout seeing you, as in such circumstances they 

 are always under the banks. Every place where 

 there is water to cover a trout should be fished, 

 and we have seen trout nearly half-a-pound weight 

 caught in burns little larger than a sheep-drain, 

 but they are invariably ugly, black, and ill-con- 



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