The Fishing of Burns with the Wet Fly 13 



in my brain, when the mere record is dead 

 and buried to all intents and purposes. 



And now to my subject ! 



May I draw (as best I can) the pic- 

 ture of a day's fly-fishing on a rather 

 large Highland burn, (for, on the smaller 

 burns the " wiggling wum " is the best 

 "fly"). Imagine me, a youth, instead of 

 a grandfather. I have tramped across the 

 hills to my favourite burn. There arrived, 

 my 11 foot 6 inch " Forrest " rod is soon 

 put up, the reel placed in the fittings, and 

 the line passed through the rings. The 

 gut casting-line (only of 2 feet) is knotted 

 on, and two flies attached thereto : Black 

 hackle for tail fly or Stretcher, and Par- 

 tridge Orange for the bob fly or dropper. 

 I am now ready to begin. Crouching, I 

 move upwards, and my flies soon cover a 

 nice-looking little pool with one, two, three 

 casts; butwithout a single response. Moving 

 on, I throw up stream, my flies falling like 

 thistledown on a deep but quiet eddy. This 

 time there is a rise at the dropper, and the 

 trout hooks himself ; but, after giving a few 

 wild leaps for freedom, he is free slightly 

 hooked probably. Nothing discouraged, I 

 let a little more line pass through the rings, 

 and cast again. Here the waters from the 



