146 GOLDEN DAYS 



across an expanse of buttercups and 

 herbage down to the feeding fish under 

 the near bank. To-day we must bear in 

 mind the importance of the first cast. 

 The fish are too nervous to tolerate a 

 second, so we must practise our cast 

 along the bank, and get it exactly right 

 in length before we present its tipped fly 

 upon the water. To-day mid-stream fish 

 are best left alone, as they will shy at even 

 the finest gut, but those resting under the 

 far bank are possibilities and worthy of no 

 end of trouble. Here it may be safer to 

 creep up and then overcast, putting our 

 fly on to the bank-edge, and then gently 

 dribbling it off" at the moment when the 

 fish is occupied in taking a natural fly. 

 These gut-shy days are never productive 

 of much sport, but their difficulty makes 

 for interest and experiment. 



August Zrd. — Fished the water below 

 mill at Kervily ; weeds very bad. Tre- 

 mendous thunderstorm in the afternoon. 

 Took one fish, one pound nine ounces ; 

 lost two big ones. 



This was a wonderful day. Perhaps its 

 peace and satisfaction are now enhanced 



