152 TROUT FISHING 



same spot with the beetle, in the way some fisher- 

 men flog a pool with the artificial fly, is useless, 

 senseless, and an extravagant waste of time. On 

 some brooks great sport may be had ; and it is 

 astonishing to see good big fish, half or three- 

 quarters of a pound each, rush out of little, bright, 

 shallow, sandy rapids, at a time when from the 

 lowness of the water and despicable appearance 

 of the brook you would at first perhaps imagine 

 it could not hold a fish bigger than a minnow. 

 I think for early lessons in fishing with the beetle, 

 these small brooks are most instructive, because 

 they teach one the value of hunting out for every 

 individual fish ; they make us more carefully 

 scrutinize and examine, and lead us to under- 

 stand practically that it is not always the grandest, 

 deepest-looking spot which holds the biggest 

 feeding trout. They make us early know to what 

 kinds of places the best fish repair to feed, and 

 force on our conviction the necessity of throwing 

 with precision and boldness, make us artful in 

 approaching a fish, and of so working each little 

 pool we may meet, that at the end of our work we 

 are sure we have so done it, that each throw we 

 made left open to us some new and undisturbed 

 spot, till we had taken in the most advantageous 

 succession all the throws to be had out of the 

 place. They also best instruct us in the most 

 proper manner of working the beetle when it is 

 in the water, and of the exact value of throwing 

 boldly and concealing ourselves. At the end of 

 each day we shall have taken away with us a 



