120 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



often in just the same weather have I had capital sport with 

 the cocktail in the Wandle, and that is by no means an easy 

 stream either to kill fish on in such weather. And if the fish 

 do not rise well in the hot day, they generally make up for it 

 in the evening. Yet, so uncertain is angling, that even here 

 the angler may reckon without his host, for after such a day a 

 fog may get up when (and this is almost the only tolerably 

 certain rule that I know of in respect to weather) the trout 

 almost invariably cease feeding. I have tried hard to account 

 for this, and I think it may be that the fog is caused by evapora- 

 tion induced by the sudden cold upon the water warmed by 

 the hot sun ; * that this sudden chill, evidenced by the evapora- 

 tion, checks the hatching and development of the flies, and 

 the fish are stopped from rising in consequence of the absence 

 of fly. I have reason to believe, however, that the change by 

 no means prevents their feeding on the bottom, and at such 

 time ground food will not be refused. Fish will not feed either 

 in a rapidly falling water, and if there be mills on the stream 

 they will often spoil the best evening's sport by drawing down 

 the water ; at such a time the only chance an angler will have 

 of a fish will be in some snug corner, under an overhanging 

 bank in the open stream his efforts will be fruitless. 



There are, however, many extraneous circumstances which 

 have much to do with the feeding of our fish and which the 

 angler will have to take into consideration, and which affect 

 rather disastrously many of our best streams, as sheep-washing, 

 mine water, drainage, etc., and by which the likeliest day, nay, 

 the likeliest week, may be seriously damaged. Last season I 

 had two splendid days at the May fly spoilt by sheep-washing, 

 and this season I had my best day spoilt. All that can be said 

 upon weather as a guide is but of a very general and imperfect 

 nature. One or two points may be accepted which are more 

 often to be relied on than not, which is all that can be said of 

 them ; for example : Fish will not rise, or if rising will not 

 take well, when heavy clouds are coming up or when heavy 

 rain portends, or a flood threatens. They seem to have some 

 instinctive notion that much water is coming, and that there 



* The cause of evening fog upon a river in summer is the reverse of what is 

 here suggested. The air, warmed by the day's sunshine, is charged with 

 vapour derived from evaporation and carried in an invisible state till the air 

 meets the chill from the water, when the vapour is suddenly condensed into 

 minute particles of water, each of which reflects light, rendering the air opaque. 

 A similar effect is created by grinding a piece of clear glass into opaque white 

 powder. ED. 



