186 TROUT FISHING 



only in a general sense, and should by no means 

 deter the fisherman from fair trial at that time if 

 circumstances require it. He must remember 

 that the worm is a very general food to the trout, 

 but that at times we can employ other means 

 for his destruction, which are superior to it ; as 

 to what those occasions are, the fisherman must 

 learn for himself by patient and persevering prac- 

 tice, aided, I trust, by what will be found in dif- 

 ferent parts of this book. As far as the rivers 

 are concerned, the best condition is plenty of water 

 in the river with richness of tint what indeed 

 would be thought best for the artificial fly ; but 

 the worm is powerfully destructive in low and 

 bright water : the only necessary condition of 

 water for the destructive power of the worm to 

 be employed is that there be rapids and currents, 

 with eddies, &c. A perfectly still water in bright 

 weather is not that to which worm-fishing is 

 adapted. It is said by some that the best time 

 for killing trout with the worm is in very bright 

 weather and low water ; this I deny, and I can 

 only explain the mistake in this way : often in 

 very low and bright water fishing, one has most 

 excellent sport, and can kill more fish with the 

 worm than with perhaps any other bait. I will, 

 for the sake of argument, admit that in such cases 

 the worm kills more than any other ; well, but it 

 by no means follows, because in low water the worm 

 shows superiority to other baits, that therefore the 

 worm kills more fish in low water than it does 

 when the rivers are of moderate height; on the 



