HO IV TO FISH FOR TROUT. 169 



will shelter us ; and I will tell you, as they shall come into 

 my mind, more observations of fly-fishing for a trout. 



But first, for the wind. You are to take notice, that of 

 the winds, the south wind is said to be the best. One 



observes that 



When the wind is south, 

 It blows your bait into a fish's mouth. 



Next to that, the west wind is believed to be the best; and 

 having told you that the east wind is the worst, I need not 

 tell you which wind is the best in the third degree ; and yet 

 (as Solomon observes) that " he that considers the wind 

 shall never sow," so he that busies his head too much 

 about them, if the weather be not made extreme cold by 

 an cast wind, shall be a little superstitious ; for as it is ob- 

 served by some, that " there is no good horse of a bad 

 colour," so I have observed, that if it be a cloudy day, and 

 not extreme cold, let the wind set in what corner it will 

 and do its worst, I heed it not. And yet take this for a 

 rule, that I would willingly fish, standing on the lee-shore ; 

 and you are to take notice, that the fish lies or swims nearer 

 the bottom, and in deeper water, in winter than in summer ; 

 and also nearer the bottom in any cold day, and then gets 

 nearest the lee-side of the water. 



But I promised to tell you more of the fly-fishing for a 

 trout, which I may have time enough to do, for you see it 

 rains May-butter. First, for a May-fly, you may make his 

 body with the greenish coloured crewel or willowish colour ; 

 darkening it in most places with waxed silk, or ribbed with 

 black hair, or some of them ribbed with silver thread ; and 

 such wings for the colour as you see the fly to have at that 

 season nay, at that very day, on the water. Or you may 



