LOCH-FISHING 133 



the bank or outwards as far as the wind permits, is of 

 little moment ; but it is essential to his success that he 

 should cast lightly, and go carefully over all the water 

 in front of him. Even the immediate neighbourhood 

 of the shore is not to be neglected, for large fish are 

 often caught in water scarcely deep enough to cover 

 them. I have seen a trout quite two pounds in weight 

 rise from under the grassy margin of a Highland loch 

 where the depth seemed insufficient to conceal a parr, 

 and I have killed a fish whose dorsal fin and part of 

 whose back were plainly visible above the surface. In 

 angling from the bank, it is not unusual to find the fly 

 seized as it is being lifted from the water within a few 

 inches of the edge. The angler will soon discover that 

 rising fish are disposed in groups ; like the single mis- 

 fortunes of the Irishman, they seldom appear alone, and 

 where he raises one fish he may confidently hope to 

 meet with others. And that, notwithstanding all the 

 Highland boatman alleges to the contrary, is a sound 

 reason for refusing to abandon a spot on which he is 

 enjoying sport, until he is satisfied that it has been 

 exhausted. It is not necessarily true that he will be 

 quite as successful elsewhere. 



In his advice to the loch-fisher Mr. Francis Francis 

 suggests that, in a light wind, he should pay particular 



