SALMON" ANGLTN&. 119 



As already said, for a low clear river take the 

 smallest salmon fly ; and choose also the cloudiest or 

 dullest hour of daylight, and cast in the manner 

 formerly described over the deepest part of the 

 stream or pool, where fish then lie, allowing your 

 line and fly to sink deep in the water ; for though 

 at this time the fish will not rise to a fly skimming 

 on the surface, he will yet venture on a bite as it 

 quietly passes near him below. In this way I have 

 often succeeded to the admiration of even the fisher 

 who rented the water; and of late I have been 

 delighted to hear a friend mention it as a point 

 of his own discovery, and assure me he has often 

 killed fish in the northern rivers, as well as in the 

 Tweed, by following this plan, when not one old 



under such a canopy would of course have little chance of being seen 

 by the finny tribes. We have tried a number of experiments to find 

 out how best to render gut invisible in the water, and we now de- 

 cidedly prefer having it dyed (with logwood and copperas) of 

 a blae or faint sky colour. Here are our reasons for preferring 

 it : first, we have more difficulty ourselves in seeing it in 

 the river than we have in seeing gut in its natural colour, and 

 as fronts, at least, must often have it between them and the same 

 back-ground the river bottom and overhanging banks we conclude 

 that they will resemble ourselves in this respect. Next : the gut is 

 generally between the fish and the sky when in the water, and 

 being of a blue tinge, and seen against a blue sky, it must necessarily 

 be more difficult of detection. Though dyed too, it remains trans- 

 parent, as may be seen by holding it against the light. Gut in its 

 natural colour may be almost invisible to the denizens of the deep 

 on cloudy days ; but for successful and pleasant trout angling give us 

 the "glad sunshine and the laughing sky." [EDR.J 



