98 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PART I. 



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 sooth. 



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 east wind, shall be a little super- 

 stitious : for as it is observed 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 

 sit in what comer 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 greenish coloured crewel, or willow- 

 ish 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 make the OAK-FLY : with an 

 orange, tawny, and black ground ; and the brown of a 



