214 APPLICATION. 



the better and fish down a few miles with the 

 minnow, and then fish back again with the worm ; 

 or if the angler has not the gift of early rising he 

 may start about breakfast-time, taking his dinner 

 with him, and fish up with the worm and down again 

 with the minnow in the evening. If the weather is 

 dark and stormy, the minnow will frequently be 

 found most deadly during the whole day. 



About the beginning of August another change 

 begins to take place in the inclinations of the trout. 

 Unless the weather is showery, or particularly favour- 

 able, they will not take the worm readily ; and fre- 

 quently only take it for an hour or so in the heat of 

 the day. There is also a visible falling off in the 

 size of the trout caught with it a sure sign with 

 any kind of fishing that it is approaching a ter- 

 mination. NOT will the minnow, unless the streams 

 are swollen, aid the angler in his emergency ; there 

 is nothing for it but to have recourse to the more 

 backward districts and smaller waters. 



About the end of August trout begin to take 

 the fly freely, and continue doing so all through 

 September, and reliance can generally be placed 

 upon it, particularly in coloured water ; should it 

 fail, recourse must be had to some hill-burn, where 

 the worm will always be found effective. 



By the beginning of October all the spawning 

 trout are out of condition; the small ones, how- 

 ever, which do not spawn, afford very good diver- 

 sion until far on in the month, by which time 

 even they are quite unworthy the attention of the 



