TROUT-FISHING 



It Is evident, therefore, that a good split -cane rod cannot be sold at 

 less than about three times the price of one made of solid wood. He who 

 is inclined to hesitate at the extra initial cost should reflect that he is 

 getting honest value for his money and obtaining an article that, with 

 decent care, will last far longer than he will himself. 



I made just now the confession that my favourite trout rod has been 

 with the maker only once during the five-and-twenty years it has served 

 me. This is an example of how not to treat a good article. Every other 

 year, at least, a split-cane rod should be overhauled by a skilled hand; 

 for the varnish is sure to crack and split off sooner or later, leaving the 

 glue, upon which the cohesion of the segments depends, open to the 

 destructive action of wet. 



An old rod well varnished is a token that it belongs to a thoughtful 

 owner; but in trout-fishing, especially in clear chalk streams, varnish 

 puts the angler to some disadvantage by its glitter. Often one may detect 

 from afar another, and it may be a rival, fisherman by the gleam of sun- 

 light on his rod. It is not seldom that warning is conveyed to a rising 

 trout by the same means. To obviate this, when I used to fish the Test 

 and Itchen I had the varnish overlaid with pale green paint, which made 

 my rod as like as possible to *' a reed shaken by the wind." 



2. Stream-fishing with floating dry-fly. Upstream casting had been 

 practised for a considerable time in northern waters before it was re- 

 gularly adopted in the trout streams of the southern counties, which are 

 of a very different character. If a typical Scottish trout-stream, say the 

 Blackadder, or any one of the innumerable *' burns " — anglice brooks 

 — ^which meander through Lowland scenery, be compared with a chalk 

 stream like the Test or Itchen, they seem to possess but one feature in 

 common, namely, that the water in both runs down hill. But in other 

 respects they bear little resemblance to each other. The northern stream 

 consists of alternate rippling shallows, brawling rapids and deep, often 

 rocky, pools. A few hours' heavy rain may convert an insignificant rivulet 

 into a roaring torrent, which, when the rain stops, subsides almost as 

 quickly as it rose. The chalk stream, on the other hand, has an even flow 

 level with its banks, swift in places, but preserving a glassy surface. 

 Most of the channel is deep in proportion to its breadth; when the current 

 spreads over shallow fords it does so in an easy, leisurely manner, quite 

 different from the rush and rattle of a north country burn. The water is 

 crystal clear, disclosing — here stretches of bright gravel — ^there waving 



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