SALMON- ANGLING. 315 



great boys at the water-side. I have witnessed, with some 

 amusement, the late Sir Charles Bell's comical vexation when 

 an unlooked-for rod bore down upon him. His testy frown, 

 when interfered with, was quite irresistible proof enough of 

 his eagerness in the sport. But perhaps this unbending of the 

 bow may have given it double power when strung again. Sir 

 Charles was only a second-rate fisher; and it often seemed 

 curious to me that he, and several men of the brightest in- 

 tellect whom I have watched at the river- side, were more 

 ignorant of their favourite amusement than of any other thing. 

 I should not have wondered at any want of practical skill, so 

 much as at their ignorance of the habits of fish ; their know- 

 ledge scarcely excelling that of the herd-laddie, who stared at 

 them with vacant gaze. 



Every newly-arrived salmon-fisher should secure the services 

 of the ablest native practitioner who may proffer them, and he 

 will thus be shown all the best casts of the river. It is 

 absurd vanity to suppose one's self capable of discovering 

 them without a great waste of time. No doubt a good 

 salmon-angler will at once perceive the places where fish are 

 most likely to harbour ; but the misfortune is, that those casts 

 which appear the most certain may sometimes deceive, while 

 there are particular nooks, perhaps the least attractive even to 

 an experienced eye, where a fish is pretty likely to rise : this 

 is especially the case when the river is swollen. An angler 

 must have but a poor knowledge of his craft, who, after once 

 or twice fishing down a stream under proper guidance, could 

 not afterwards manage for himself. It will be very necessary 

 to get a list of the most killing flies in use, on the spot, and 

 tie them of various shades and sizes. 



Many city anglers have some country guide whom they 

 affirm to be the best fisher in the kingdom. This professional, 

 making merchandise of his local knowledge, has most likely 

 taught them all they know ; hence their reverence for his 

 skill These " regular fishermen," by continually harassing 



