RIVER- ANGLING. 209 



The insensibility to pain, which an angler can scarcely 

 fail to notice in these cold-blooded creatures, is a point 

 which happily redeems from cruelty the necessary inflic- 

 tions of his craft. I recollect catching three fine trout one 

 evening when trolling on Loch Lomond with a friend, and 

 we discovered hanging out of the mouth of one of them a 

 strong hair line. On opening the fish, we found a large 

 bait-hook fixed firmly in its stomach, the wicker and part 

 of the hook being nearly digested. The creature had 

 evidently been caught and broke away from a set-line, 

 and, though hooked in so vital a part, not only took our 

 bait greedily, and made a most capital fight for a quarter 

 of an hour, but was in the very finest condition, having 

 fattened on his hard fare, instead of wasting from torture. 



The last hint I have to give on the still parts of the river 

 is, that when the large trout refuse to rise, being sated with 

 summer-flies, a small minnow about dusk is most likely to 

 succeed. 



With regard to the streams, and more rapid parts of the 

 river, it certainly requires practice to find out the feeding- 

 places of trout. There is always a good cast just where 

 the water begins to steady itself, after falling and foaming 

 over a ledge of rock, also in the eddies caused by roots, 

 stones, branches of trees, &c. An angler who loves his 

 craft will very soon become knowing in this department, 

 and will then find much less difficulty here than in the still 

 deeps. Of course, the more rapid the water the less likely 

 is the trout to observe either a fisher on the banks or his 

 line, though perchance heavily thrown. But show me the 



