WEATHER AND WIND 253 



things we use to-day. Certainly they would show 

 to better advantage when wind and weather com- 

 bined to conceal their more prominent features. 

 On south-country streams, at any rate, such patterns 

 attached to coarse gut would not stand much chance 

 on a calm day under a bright sun. 



These are possible reasons for the old dislike for 

 sunshine. But there is another thing worth con- 

 sidering. Possibly the old writers, like the new, did 

 not know everything, and there may have been 

 plenty of silent fishermen, as there are now, who 

 went on their efficient way without heeding the 

 rules laid down for them by the prophets. Experience 

 is the best teacher after all, and probably at no 

 time did experience ever say that grey was always 

 to be preferred to gold. 



On the whole, except in grievous droughts, I 

 would always have it sunny when I go trout fishing, 

 even though I may possibly suffer in basket thereby. 

 One very definite reason which I have for this is 

 that I dearly love to see all that is to be seen, and 

 more especially to see the fish which I am trying to 

 catch. In some conditions, indeed, I feel as though 

 I could not catch any without seeing them. 



Take a rather dour river like the upper Kennet 

 on a morning in July. The Mayfly has been over 

 some time and there is little to bring the fish up to 

 rise steadily before the evening. Then probably 



