334 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



trees. A very strong clumsy rod is required to " pitch " (for 

 that is the proper term) the line up the stream. It is not 

 allowed to circle behind at all, but the strong rod is giving 

 the underhand forward motion to half of the line before the 

 other half leaves the water. 



As to up-stream trouting, many will reject it on account of 

 the perpetual lashing it entails. There is this in its favour, 

 though, that in trout-fishing, the more casts, the more rises. 

 All good trouters are aware of this, and never put off time by 

 leading their hooks, except in lochs and the still deeps of 

 streams. When whipping for yellow trout, my advice is, to 

 take a cast wherever you can get a good one, whether up, 

 across, or down stream ; to repeat them as often as possible, 

 and never to drag your flies except in still water. I will 

 quote the words of a little work on Tweed Angling, by an old 

 fisherman, written years ago, to show that this has been the 

 adopted principle of trouting for many a day. " Throwing the 

 line for trout does not require the same regularity of plan and 

 manner as the casting for salmon, since it is often more nec- 

 essary to throw aslant upwards or straight across, then down- 

 wards. And indeed, in trout-angling generally, it is very im- 

 proper to hang the fly on the stream, far more so to pull it 

 against it. In fishing either stream or pool, cast the fly across, 

 or slanting considerably upwards, and let it float down the cur- 

 rent of its own accord" Although the unintermitted " wap- 

 ping " is not pleasant at first, yet with a small one-handed 

 trouting-rod, few men of average strength will mind this when 

 the arm has become habituated. 



If the river falls rapidly, salmon or grilse never take well. 

 A shine on the water also makes them still. I have heard 

 many fishers say that, on a dewy morning, salmon never rise 

 well at the fly. I have now and then experienced the reverse, 

 especially in hot July weather. After once going over thin 

 dwindled water, it is useless to try again, as the fish are pretty 

 certain to see you the first time. In some rivers which run 



