The Big Trout. 167 



the Ticl can be procured by the day^ week, or 

 season, is not a bad place to stay at, as the 

 raihvay takes you to many places ; but bear 

 this in mind, the farther you get from the 

 rail the better chance you get of sport, as 

 a great many good fishermen who know the 

 w^ater go out from Plymouth, Exeter, and the 

 towns in the neighbourhood. 



I once came across two trout which were so 

 gorged with the May-fly as to appear quite 

 drunk and helpless. It was just at the com- 

 mencement of the season, and very hot ; they 

 were rolling about on the top of the water, and 

 w^hen I tried to drop a fly into their mouths, 

 which they were continually opening, as if 

 gasping for breath, they just dropped quietly 

 down a foot or so and came up again ; they 

 took no further notice of me. I waded in and 

 tried to pop the landing-net under them, but 

 they had just enough life left in them to avoid 

 it; I did succeed in getting one of them into 

 it, but he rolled out again before I could fling 

 him out. 



The w^eather also is so constantly interfering 

 with sport, that a man always needs to live on 

 the banks of a stream to take advantage of the 



