FLIES AND FLY FISHING. 65 



are only sporting, not feeding at all ; but continue fishing 

 nevertheless, for they may change at any moment from 

 play to earnest and commence feeding ; but it is generally 

 after their play has subsided that your sport commences ; 

 you will soon learn how to distinguish when they are 

 rising freely at fly from this kind of play. 



I know no prettier fishing than on good grayling water, 

 when there is a good rise of one of their favorite flies, and 

 they are steadily on feed. They herd together in shoals, 

 and a couple of hundred yards of water is often sufficient 

 for an afternoon's fishing. A hooked fish, darting through 

 a shoal does not seem to frighten grayling in the same way 

 that it does other fish. 



I have fished most of the grayling rivers in England, 

 and give the palm to the Lugg, in Herefordshire, for the 

 size and number of its fish, with the exception (perhaps) 

 of that portion of the Teme preserved by the Leintwar- 

 dine Club, which was some years ago quite the best. 



Grayling do not often run at the minnow, but they do 

 so on very rare occasions. I once caught three in one day 

 with a small brass minnow on the river Arrow, and they 

 were all fairly hooked in the mouth, but have only taken 

 four others in my lifetime. 



I believe that in rivers where grayling are very plenti- 



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