48 MINOR TACTICS OF THE CHALK STREAM 



normal. I looked in the place where the best of 

 the risers was usually present when attending to 

 business, but he was not there. Four or five yards 

 farther upstream the bottom, from being shallow, 

 dipped suddenly to the deep, with a sharp brown 

 earthy edge, and there, lying in shelter from the 

 current under the earthy ledge at the head of the 

 hole, lay a trout which I put down at a comforting 

 two pounds. He saw me, and slithered into his 

 fastness, but I did not forget the hint. Many 

 times had I cast to that trout when rising, but 

 always under a tree some yards below. Now I 

 would cast to him when not rising, and I would 

 fish him in his hide. The lowest of a small cohort 

 of ribbon-weeds craning their tips gently over the 

 surface indicated the neighbourhood of the lip of 

 the hole, and, scanning the opposite side carefully, 

 I marked the exact bunch of yellow flower from 

 behind which I ought to deliver my cast, and 

 marked on the hither bank a bunch of purple 

 hemlock which indicated the centre of the hole. 



Later in the day from the opposite bank I sent 

 over a wet Tup's Indispensable to the weed's edge 

 several times without avail. 



The next time I came down the fish was rising 

 to surface food, and I left him severely alone. 

 My time was to be when he was not rising, for no 

 trout seems able to resist a nymph at any time, 

 even if not feeding, and a nymph of sorts he should 

 have. Coming back later, I found stillness reign- 



