FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 

 first symptoms of a hatch of a humbler form of ephemerid — ^the duns. 

 As yet there is no movement on the surface, save in yonder cushion of 

 half -submerged weed where a nice trout is "tailing" — ^that is, nosing 

 out crustacean delicacies from the green tangle. A broad tail -fin shining 

 orange -tawny in the sunlight — a flash from a silvery flank — ^betoken a 

 two -pounder in prime condition; but Piscator knows that a tailing fish 

 can never be tempted by a floating fly. A sunk palmer may sometimes 

 lure such a fish to its doom; but Piscator is out for sport, not for the 

 pot, and passes on. 



Sometimes a chance is offered of anticipating the rise of fly, and of such 

 Piscator presently attempts to avail himself. There is a goodly trout 

 lying on the far side of the stream, not rising indeed, for there is nothing 

 to tempt him to do so, but poised midway between the surface and the 

 bottom, evidently on the outlook for what the current may bring his way. 

 The position is not an easy one, for it will take a longish cast to cover 

 the fish, between which and the fisher the stream runs broad and strong, 

 though smooth. 



P. is no novice; nevertheless he cannot quite repress the tremor of 

 excitement caused by the sight of his game. Rapidly waving his rod to 

 and fro, he switches out line to the necessary length, and succeeds in 

 depositing the tiny fly a couple of yards above the fish. It floats down, 

 nicely cocked — ^nothing could be more perfect — ^when, just as it comes 

 within a couple of feet of the trout's nose, the line bags in midstream, 

 dragging the fly out of its course; the fish takes alarm and sinks slowly 

 to the bottom, sidling off into cover of the weeds. That trout has been 

 " put down," and no more time need be spent over him. 



P. resumes his prowl, and has not travelled far before he detects a float- 

 ing dun, then another, followed by a little flotilla of three or four. The 

 rise is on. Twenty yards above him, close to the near bank, his quick eye 

 detects a dimple on the surface such as an able-bodied water -beetle 

 might make in rising to replenish its pipes with air. A north country 

 fisherman, unused to the ways of chalk-stream trout, even if he recog- 

 nized this slight disturbance as being caused by a fish, would pronounce 

 it to be so small a one as not to merit attention. But P. knows better. 

 Experience has taught him how different is the furtive rise and stealthy 

 sip of a south -country two -pounder from the headlong dash and plunge 

 of a Scottish trout, and, recognizing that his chance has come, he pre- 

 pares to take full advantage thereof. This fish, be it great or small, is an 

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