IX 

 EPISODICAL 



ESTABLISHED PRINCIPLES AND TROUT. 



The trout is the most extraordinary creature at bringing 

 to nought, not only theories, but definitely established 

 principles. I thought once that if anything in trout fishing 

 could be called " established " (and, with every disposition 

 towards caution in statement, I recognized that these things 

 must be few) there were two beyond dispute: (i) That a 

 windy evening meant no evening rise; and (2) that when 

 the blue-winged olive was up, the chalk-stream trout will 

 take the Orange Quill. I have before recorded experiences 

 that disproved the former proposition, but here is an 

 account of an earlier evening which wrecked both together. 

 A friend whom I asked to come and fish with me on 

 my own little ditch failed me, and with some hesitation 

 I took my ticket for another destination, which brought 

 me alongside the Itchen shortly before seven o'clock 

 (6 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time) on Saturday, June 24, 1916. 

 A strong and slightly cold wind sprang up late in the 

 afternoon, and showed no sign of dying down, and for some 

 time there was not a sign of a movement of a trout on the 

 water. I had anticipated the fitful, scattered rise of pale 

 watery dun usual at this time of year at that time of day, 

 but there was not even that. So, by way of occupation, 

 I tied on a small Landrail and Hare's-ear Sedge (No. 1 hook), 

 and began to search under the far bank. I cocked up an 

 eye to look at a snipe, and on bringing it back to business 



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