FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 

 of a grayling at its prime is to be far desired before that of an Itchen 

 trout, salmon-red though that be. 



Walton's other point — ^the inferior comibative powers of the grayling — 

 may be conceded; the resolute runs and determined tussling of a good 

 trout put to shame the rolling and tumbling tactics of Thymallus. "Too 

 often," observed Francis Francis, •* grayling behave [when hooked] 

 as a trout might be imagined to do if he had been drinking success to the 

 Mayfly rather too freely."* Nevertheless, these tactics prove effectual 

 oftener than the trout's miore chivalrous play, by reason of the softer 

 nature of the grayling's mouth, whence a small hook is very apt to part 

 when the fish is walloping about on the surface. 



To the credit side of the grayling's account the fly-fisher may set the 

 fact that this fish may be induced to rise even when there is no natural 

 fly on the water. In the crystal-clear streams of Hants and Herts it is 

 idle to cast over trout when they are not looking out for surface food. 

 Before the rise begins and after it is over you may lean your rod against 

 a rail and turn to botany, bird's nesting, or, as Richard Franck did use, 

 to controversial theology, for you will receive no attention from any except 

 fingerling trout. But in a water well stocked with grayling there is always 

 a chance for one fishing on the " chuck -and -chance -it " system — casting 

 downstream with wet fly. Of course, when grayling are ** rising to them- 

 selves," as fishermen term it, the fastidious angler will resort to the 

 more artistic style of putting a dry fly over the rising fish; but, except in 

 a bright sun and flat calm, he will probably not do as much execution 

 as he would by the older method. When a chalk -stream trout means to 

 make a repast of winged fare, he chooses a position conveniently near 

 the surface, whence he may suck down floating flies with a minimum 

 of effort. Not so the grayling, which always lies near the bottom, and 

 enjoys the power of rising swiftly from a considerable depth to seize or 

 inspect anything that attracts his attention on the surface. 



As to the flies that may be offered to grayling with most chance of 

 acceptance, there seems to be a general agreement among experts that 

 red has a peculiar attraction for them. While grayling will take imitations 

 of natural flies when these happen to be about, there are also a number of 

 fancy patterns which have established their reputation as killers. In 

 preparing his "Book of the Grayling," Mr Pritt invited each of four expert 

 grayling -fishers to send him three favourite patterns, and these he gave 



*Baok M An^mg, 2nd Ed., p. 278. 



160 



