208 SEA-TKOUT 



Well, these tactics succeeded. Three or four good 

 sea-trout were in the bag by the time I stood again at 

 the top of the cast brilliant fellows, up to two pounds 

 and a half, just out of the tide. But the salmon were 

 dour ; they kept rolling about, never giving an offer at 

 the daintiest lures. ' Soolky August,' think I to myself, 

 and exchange the heavy rod for the light one, for it 

 must be confessed that sea-trout show a poor fight on 

 a powerful salmon-rod. With a light ten-footer they 

 fight splendidly, buzzing out the line and jumping 

 repeatedly. But, after taking half-a-dozen more of 

 them with the delicate gear, the temptation of giving 

 the salmon a fair chance overpowered me, and for 

 two or three hours I thrashed away in momentary 

 expectation of the majestic summons of a 'fush.' It 

 never came. At three o'clock I caused the gillie to 

 turn out the contents of the bag. Exactly a score of 

 sea-trout, weighing twenty-five pounds, was the tally. 



Just then a farmer friend, who had been fishing 

 above me, came down the water, and reported having 

 raised a salmon twice, without accounting for it further. 

 He told me my flies were too big for sea- trout, seeing 

 that the river (which is one of those sensitive streams, 

 all over the place to-day and dwindling into a thread 

 to-morrow) had fallen nearly a foot since the morning. 

 I told him to try his smaller flies over a lovely stream 

 I had just been fishing. At the very first cast up 

 came a grilse, fastened bravely, and in five minutes 

 was hanging on the scale with the index at five pounds. 

 ' Shall I try for his neighbour ? ' (good Scots for 



