154 TROUT FISHING 



low and bright, as a general rule, little only can 

 be relied on in sport above Lanaker bridge ; the 

 river above that bridge when very low, as it 

 commonly is in June and July, runs thin and 

 poor, and has none of the rich detail of the brook- 

 let fishing, but long flats, with white glaring stones 

 at the bottom, shallow water often for a long 

 distance almost entirely still ; and though here 

 and there you do find a spot suitable to sport, yet 

 you have so far to go bet'ween each little place, 

 so much toil and labour, so great a loss of time, 

 that really it is not worth fishing when the water 

 is very low and bright. If there be a moderate 

 quantity of water, 1 would say, even just too little 

 to allow you to do much with the artificial fly, 

 you will get good sport. But there is better fish- 

 ing and the fish are larger below Lanaker bridge ; 

 indeed, between Dulverton and that bridge the 

 entire water is admirably adapted to beetle-fish- 

 ing. One peculiarity I may mention, and it may 

 be taken cum grano sails ; still I have made the 

 observation, and as I write only what I have ob- 

 served it may be worth a little consideration 'tis 

 this : wherever a stream flows long through heavy 

 dense woods, whose trees overhang and over- 

 shadow the entire water for any considerable dis- 

 tance, I find the beetle to be the worst of baits, 

 as a general rule. The place seems too sombre, 

 too gloomy for so gay and animated a style as 

 beetle-fishing. The fish themselves which you 

 generally catch with a beetle are bright fat- sided 

 fellows, with rich golden spots; in these very 



