KINSHIP WITH THE ARTS 9 



drifts on the lake, or saunters up the 

 stream, casting, casting, casting, the 

 angler has his mind occupied at every 

 moment. The trout may be down just 

 then ; but who knows when they may 

 not be up ? Certainly not he unless his 

 flies are constantly testing the humour of 

 the fish. An old Lochleven boatman is 

 wont to say, when some novice in the 

 sport is showing signs of giving up in 

 despair, " The first rule here, sir, is — Keep 

 your flees in the waater. Ye'U never 

 ha'e a fish unless they're there." This 

 elementary precept is often neglected. 

 Many a man gives up for- an hour or so 

 when either he cannot raise a trout or 

 he sees no rises at natural flies. Often 

 this results in what should be a good day 

 turning out a bad one. If none of the 

 flies which you have been using for half 

 an hour is successful, another set might 

 be. Perhaps insects are absent from the 

 water ; but at some hour of the day dur- 

 ing the season there certainly should be a 

 hatch in the course of nature. Untimely 



