204 SEA-TROUT 



XLIX 



The spell of halcyon weather which lay over the 

 western coast of Scotland for three weeks at 



Sea-trout 



the end of July and beginning of August 

 broke with violent salvoes of electric artillery and 

 prodigious deluge. The Scottish harvest not being so 

 imminent as to suffer materially from wind and wet, 

 we anglers rejoiced with clear conscience over a 

 change which revived hope long deferred, and we 

 watched the rising waters with feverish impatience for 

 one of the liveliest phases of the fisher's craft. 



'Soolky August' is the worst month in the salmon- 

 angler's calendar. The Lammas floods often bring up 

 great numbers of fish, but in most rivers they are very 

 languid about rising to the fly until the cooler breath 

 of September sets them in a brisker mood. But 

 August is only inferior to a wet July as the sea-trout 

 fishers' carnival. The chief run of heavy sea-trout 

 generally takes place in June or July ; this is succeeded 

 in August by a multitude of smaller fish, averaging, 

 say, half a pound in weight corresponding to the 

 grilse of salmon, and known in various districts as 

 herlings, finnocks, whitlings, or sprods. So that in 

 August you have the chance of mature fish up to 

 five pounds or more, with the certainty of plenty of 

 herlings delicious fellows on the table to keep you 

 on the qui vive. 



But to enjoy this sport in perfection a succession of 

 good spates is necessary. Night-fishing with fly, 



