172 REMARKS ON WORMS 



scattered over all the river, and are plentiful in odd 

 corners and side streams where the water is often 

 not more than four or five inches deep ; hence no 

 places of such description should be missed by him ; 

 indeed, they often yield most sport, as trout mostly 

 all feed at the sides, where worms are always most 

 plentiful. If a wind should happen to be blowing 

 up the valley, the worm-angler reaps some benefit 

 therefrom, as he may then angle in pools as well 

 as streams. The least wind-ripple on a pool partly 

 prevents the trout from noticing the accompani- 

 ments of the angler's bait, which so often frighten 

 them from taking ; and they often, when the surface 

 is rippled, take the worm as they take fly, the moment 

 it alights on the water. For pool-fishing of this 

 description the angler of course requires to throw a 

 light long line, and to have fine gut in use. 



An ordinary bait hook for worm-fishing does very 

 well at the beginning of the season, when the trout 

 are still unjealous of the worms coming to them in 

 such a stiff form ; but in July, when rivers are at their 

 smallest, and trout are extremely wary, many of 

 them having been hook-nipped, we prefer using a 

 tackle of three small hooks, upon which we stick 

 the worm in such a way that it can wriggle about 

 in a quite natural style ; and we find the liveliness 



