52 TROUT FISHING 



another chapter, the wind is less important 

 on a river than it is on a lake. Here let 

 it be mentioned that on the lake there can 

 hardly, in one sense, be too much of it. 

 Quite a gentle breeze, if continuous, is 

 often sufficient to bring the trout up ; but, 

 if they are feeding in earnest, the wind will 

 not put them down even though it rises 

 into a gale. They will rush at a fly in the 

 trough of a billow which leaves the bottom 

 of the lake, at some shallow place, almost 

 uncovered. The inspiriting nature of this 

 astonishing discovery is mitigated only by 

 the difficulties of fishing on a lake when 

 the wind is very high. By way of provid- 

 ing against the emergency, some anglers 

 take out with them a large stone fastened 

 to a rope ; the stone is to be dropped 

 overboard when the boat begins to drift 

 too quickly. This plan, which is better 

 than not going out at all, has the disadvan- 

 tage that a large fish may entangle the 

 line round the rope, and break offi There 

 is considerable reason for believing that 

 the trout are often in the best of humours 



