124 FISHING IN EDEN 



Wild. To put the matter in a nutshell one has to 

 be undeniably masterful with beck trout. 



The Alpha and Omega of beck fishing is, " Keep 

 your scarecrow of a body out of sight ! ' The art 

 of approach has as much to do with all kinds of 

 clear water fishing as it has with golf and scouting, 

 but once the lure of the hill-burns has got you 

 good scouting will follow. 1 have often thought 

 how amusing it would be for a hidden looker-on to 

 watch a good beck fisherman in the lower reaches, 

 dodging like a maniac from tree to tree, and from 

 bank corner to bush, in the all-absorbing pursuit 

 of his sport. 



It is advisable to look well ahead if you do not 

 know your water. Judicious crossing is necessary 

 both for sport and legs. Always remembering that, 

 other things being equal, the best bank is that 

 facing the sun. But nearly every good rule has its 

 important exception, and in this case it is when 

 fishing coloured water. 



It is to be hoped that the reader will not con- 

 sider this rather special chapter too full of pre- 

 sumptuous " do's " and " don't's," for the writer 

 has no desire to " lay down the law," or " point out 

 royal roads." 



The becks, in fact, give opportunity for research 

 and experiment, and the more this attitude is taken 



