THE BANK OF VANTAGE 99 



conditions that it is impossible to say that at the 

 moment of selection one bank is more worthy of 

 choice than the other. But, subject to such special 

 conditions, there are a few general principles which 

 it is well to bear in mind in considering from which 

 side we shall direct our attack. 



The first of these is to avoid such a position as 

 will throw the shadow of angler or rod over the 

 fish. This is an obvious consideration, and one 

 that is easy of application. But it does not neces- 

 sarily follow that, because the sun will throw one's 

 shadow — even a long or formidable shadow — on to 

 the stream from, say, the right bank, one must 

 necessarily adopt the other. It may be that the 

 shadow will be straight across or even behind the 

 angler, or, at any rate, in such a position as, for 

 instance, not to interfere with his casting up- 

 stream, or upstream and across, and the river 

 bottom may not be so bare that the fall of his 

 shadow will send the trout scurrying upstream to 

 disturb and put down the feeding fish above. In 

 narrow streams, however, the effect of shadow in 

 bolting fish upstream is necessarily far more pro- 

 nounced than in streams of moderate width — say 

 twelve to twenty yards. In like manner, the narrow 

 stream should not, if possible, even with a favour- 

 ing upstream breeze, be fished from the right bank, 

 which necessitates holding the rod and waving 

 line and fly over the water, or one may see one's 

 hopes laid low for half an hour or more, and a good 



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