37 



alter the former is gone, although it will sometimes 

 happen that on a rough, dull day, you can have good 

 sport for a week or ten days afterwards. 



The length of the May-fly season depends greatly 

 on the weather. It generally lasts about three 

 weeks; but the present season (1888) has been 

 exceptionally wet and cold, and the flies were only 

 hatched at long and irregular intervals, owing to the 

 absence of sun. Consequently the season extended 

 from the second or third day of June till the second 

 week of July. On the nth of June last I was fishing 

 with a May-fly and a small Soldier-palmer for drop, 

 my usual custom, and was struck by the difference 

 of the manner in which fish rose at the two flies. 

 The rise at the May-fly was bold and decisive, but 

 without undue haste, whilst that at the Palmer was a 

 sudden swish, without giving time to strike. I can 

 only account for this by the circumstance that 

 the natural May-fly is longer on the water than the 

 Palmer before it gets water-logged and sinks, and the 

 fish therefore know that they can take their time 

 about it. The stream was very difficult to fish, and I 

 lost a great many fish as well as flies from getting 

 entangled in the bushes; nevertheless I succeeded in 

 landing twelve brace of trout, besides some returned. 



Next, as to the time of day. The most preferable 

 times are from about 8 a.m. till noon, and after 

 4 p.m. till midnight. In many trout clubs there is a 

 rule prohibiting fishing after half-past nine ; but, if 

 you are not restricted in that respect, you will find 

 that the largest fish are taken from sunset till ten or 

 eleven o'clock. The only justification for late fishing 

 is that the very large trout, which often attain their 



