134 FISHING IN EDEN 



fishing, but in times of flood, they seek quiet eddies 

 under the banks, and take freely. 



The undressed silk line should be well greased 

 with mutton fat, and, if the weather is very frosty, 

 occasionally rubbed down with a greasy rag. If 

 this is not done, or even sometimes in spite of the 

 precaution, the watery part of the line gets 

 encrusted with particles of ice, which fill up, and 

 make window panes of the rings, effectively 

 stopping the line. The worms should, of course, be 

 well cleaned in moss as already described, and 

 ought not to be longer than about one-and-a-quarter 

 inches, or even less. 



Grayling are not so " pernickety " as is often 

 imagined. It is altogether too limiting in practice 

 to confine oneself to the laid down rules. The 

 small worm mentioned covers a small tackle that 

 is all. Such a tackle, and fine gut, is necessary 

 because the bait hangs down in full view. The 

 grayling, however, do not object to a larger worm, 

 on a larger tackle, when it is rolling down a stream, 

 and does not appear to have a string attached to 

 it. 



There is plenty of room for experiment in this 

 kind of fishing. The grayling is, however, a shy 

 fish, and the art of keeping out of sight is a fixed 

 necessary condition of the sport. 



