260 TROUT FISHING 



angler steps out on to the bank with a beauty, all 

 red, brown, and gold, in the meshes of the net. Ah, 

 a pound and three-quarters good weight, and so 

 home to tea well content ! 



The sun has his advantages even when there is 

 too much of him, if he drives the angler to the shady 

 places and so promotes sport of this thoroughly 

 attractive kind. 



The late Mr. F. G. Aflalo, whose premature death 

 has recently been so much deplored by all honest 

 anglers, once compiled a very interesting book 

 called Fishermen's Weather. In it he assembled the 

 views of a large number of prominent anglers on 

 the affect of various kinds of weather on their sport. 



I am not sure that anything very definite in the 

 way of precept emerged from all that mass of evi- 

 dence. How should it indeed ? For the ordinary 

 angler's invariable rule is, and from the nature of 

 things must be, " Fish on and hope for the best." 

 The collection of data may affect the intensity of his 

 hope, according as it indicates favourable conditions 

 or unfavourable, but it will hardly affect the question 

 whether he fishes or not. If accumulated experience 

 says, " You will have very little sport," he will 

 probably retort, " There is always an off-chance." 



As indeed there is, especially in trout fishing. I 

 have pretty definite ideas as to the effect of certain 

 kinds of weather on some other fish for instance, 



