HABITS OF THE GRAYLING 217 



seldom become so shy as trout do. There are many well- 

 whipped streams where, after the middle of July, unless 

 specially favoured by the water and weather, you have little 

 or no hope of getting a trout of any size to move until dusk 

 or almost dark ; yet come upon a bit of grayling water in such 

 streams, and you are almost as likely to take a brace of gray- 

 ling in August as you are in May. The grayling supplies, too, 

 capital fly-fishing from the time the trout goes out almost until 

 he comes in again. The worst point of comparison is in his 

 play, and in this he is certainly inferior to the trout, for 

 although when hooked he requires much more tender treat- 

 ment, and is far more liable to part company with you than the 

 trout, his play after a very short time is too often composed of 

 a series of rolls and tumbles, which are less graceful and pleasing 

 than the rapid motion and sharp resistance of the trout ; in 

 fact, though now and then one would fight very boldly and 

 well, too often they behave as a trout might be imagined to 

 do if he had been drinking success to the May fly rather too 

 freely. 



Grayling should not be fished for till August ; they are 

 not worth eating before that, and not very good then. A 

 September fish is better than an August fish, October better 

 than September, and November best of all. All through the 

 winter, on a warm, sunny midday, you may get sport ; and 

 even if it be not a warm sunny day, you need hardly despair 

 as the fish are in condition in winter, and must needs feed at 

 some time, though certainly a glimpse of sunshine serves to 

 bring out the flies, and to bring up the fish wonderfully. 



Another good point in the grayling, too, is, that he is not 

 like the trout in his method of feeding. When a trout is feeding 

 at the bottom, as a rule, he will not look at the top, and when 

 the rise of the fly is over on very many trout rivers, there is an 

 end of your trout-fishing, pro tern. ; on others, if you see no 

 trout moving, it is useless to whip the water. When fly is 

 rising, trout take up a position favourable to rising at the fly, 

 and favourable to their securing it with the least trouble, and 

 in the least possible depth of water, which they can con- 

 veniently rise through. But whether it be that the huge dorsal 

 fin in the grayling permits him to rise much more rapidly 

 through deeper water than the trout or no, I cannot say ; but 

 these conditions do not always exercise the same control over 

 the rising of the grayling. It is (barring bad weather, when 

 nothing could be expected to move) always a favourable time 



