AUTUMN ANGLING ON THE LYON. 355 



man's house, and touched one of them sharply at second rise, 

 but his neighbour refused to come again. Nevertheless, from 

 the scanty water and bright sky, I had reason to be satisfied 

 that any fish deigned to notice my fly on the last Lyon day 

 of 1858. 



Perfect contentment with a few salmon-rises and an empty 

 fishing-bag, by way of finale to an angling season, can hardly 

 fail to suggest " the glorious nibble " of a brother enthusiast. 

 Moving large fish, however, is held by every true angler only 

 second to hooking them ; but many persons are apt to despise 

 the most skilful and patient efforts unless crowned with im- 

 mediate success, and to such the plaintive wail of an old crafts- 

 man, when asked what he had caught, may suggest no un- 

 worthy moral " Nothing but twigs ! " 



A salmon-fisher is deemed by those who watch him, as the 

 river statue of patience. But making allowance for the dif- 

 ferent tempers of men, the fisherman's patience is generally in 

 fair proportion to his knowledge of the sport and practical 

 skill. These qualities are needed to ensure self-reliance, with- 

 out which, patience in the art of angling would be only foolish 

 endurance. 



The general rules for salmon-fishing apply to all rivers, as 

 they are much the same with regard to flies, the best moods of 

 the water and times of day for angling, on the top, in the mid- 

 dle, or at the bottom viz., with fly, minnow, or worm. Almost 

 every river has, however, some peculiarities taken advantage of 

 by the local fishers, but which every able wielder of the rod, 

 especially if he has a fair amount of general practice, will 

 quickly master. This is fishing knowledge, and only to be 

 learned by long and keen observation. An active young man 

 of good hand and quick eye, with some enthusiasm, will soon 

 be taught dexterity, which consists in the power of command- 

 ing any water, whether by casting a very long line, or, in 

 difficult streams, by pitching the fly between every small 

 opening among trees, scarcely ever catching a twig at other 



