176 THE SCIENTIFIC ANGLER. 



observant student. To some it is not known that the 

 temperature of the water is most frequently responsible 

 forbad "taking" days; we habitually carry a small in- 

 strument, by no means generally used by fishermen, we 

 refer to a small pocket thermometer. This proves most 

 useful in ascertaining the temperature of the water, either 

 at tho surface or at the bottom. By the use of such an 

 instrument the observant angler soon learns that when 

 the water is of unusually low temperature, the moving 

 'fish will be rare, notwithstanding the favorable atmos- 

 pheric temperature. When the air is cold and the water 

 proves at a higher degree than common, the fish will be 

 certain to be more or less on the feed; but when both 

 atmosphere and water are genial, every description of fish 

 will be found to be upon the "forage" for prey, if not 

 satiated by some proper food supply. The observant 

 fisherman upon any particular water soon finds out much 

 more to guide him in his choice of fishing. The water 

 of different rivers and streams, as a matter of course, 

 varies, and the fisher in any particular water should ascer- 

 tain precisely, not only the prevailing temperature of the 

 water, but that in which the fish feed most eagerly, as 

 also when it is useless trying to tempt them to "rise" or 

 "run." The old nostrums anent weather wisdom are 

 mainly inaccuracies. In the coldest eastern or north- 

 eastern wind we have killed repeatedly many a fine basket 

 of fish, owing to the temperature of the water being high 

 and unusually genial from some cause or other. 



The ancient belief in the stoppage of sport during a 

 thunder-storm is not strictly true. Some little time be- 

 fore the breaking of the storm atmospheric influence 

 appears to act detrimentally, almost invariably through 

 the warmer months, but during the storm itself the fish 

 will rise more often than not, most eagerly at the numer- 

 ous insects drowned during the down-pour, and this too, 

 whilst the electric fluid gleams and the thunder roars 



