86 TROUT FISHING 



hackle red quill on a " short " 00 hook, which I 

 flatter myself is no bigger to a fish's eye than a 000. 

 I do not use it, though, till I have put a black smut 

 on the new point, looked at it distrustfully, and 

 then taken it off again untried. This custom is 

 almost invariable. The mental process is something 

 like this : " That is the sort of fish that wants a black 

 smut. This is the black smut it wants. Good. 

 But, come to think of it, does the fish want a black 

 smut? Ought it to? The black smut is a thing 

 for the daytime. It is true that the sun is burning 

 a hole in my back, but this is the evening rise. No, 

 a hackle red quill is what must go on." So it goes 

 on, and as exactly as I can I have told why. 



To continue, the depressed fish go on dimpling, 

 " here a trout, and there a grayling," till about six. 

 By that time I have put a selection down (boasting, 

 however, one short rise), and the others have gone 

 down of their own accord, or by the laws of gravity. 

 Then I go on to where, on a swift shallow, are what 

 an ingenious friend calls the " decoys." These fish 

 rise always, morning, evening, night, hail, snow, 

 shine, or earthquake at least, I believe so. They 

 constitute the second period of the evening rise. 

 On this shallow I always see two light-coloured duns, 

 and I always say : " Ha ! It's beginning." They 

 are decoys, too. So I put on a ginger quill, and a 

 pale watery, and a Wickham (which is so good for 



