EARLY TROUT FISHING. 



2 73 



time; and in mountain brooks and lowland 

 becks capital sport indeed may be had before 

 the faintest tinge of green colours the bleak 

 hedgerows. Here, of course, you cannot 

 expect four pounders there is no prospect 

 of an exciting scuffle with a plump walloping 

 fish ; you must be content with meaner prey, 

 with the diminutive but not less lovely fry 

 that look so pretty in creel or dish. 



Suppose you select a mountain stream for 

 the scene of your operations. Make it a point 

 to go up as high on it, as near to its source as 

 you conveniently can. Choose a morning with 

 a soft yellow mist for your start. Take heed 

 that there has been no frost overnight. The 

 pallid rime on grass or leaf forbodes an empty 

 basket to the angler. You will find what is 

 called a fresh day, when the spring seems to 

 make a sudden advance towards quickening 

 the still heart of the year. The sky is soft 

 with woolly clouds ; the westerly tender wind is 

 just strong enough to cause a fly from your 

 casting line to tilt deftly over the water ; the 

 softness of the air tempts the blackbird to 

 chuckle in the hollies, and winter is banished 



T 



