198 TROUT FISHING 



some new drift on a lake, a trout rushed 

 at a fly trailed behind the boat. If the 

 passage of a boat scares the fish, how 

 does that happen ? The answer, I think, 

 is twofold. In the first place, there is 

 some cause for beheving that the trout in 

 lakes where boats are frequent become 

 used to seeing the craft and are not much 

 disturbed by their passage. Once on 

 Lochleven a trout just in front rose at 

 a fly and missed. Almost immediately 

 thereafter, the boat drifting rapidly, I 

 cast, in the teeth of the wind, behind, 

 raised the trout, and caught him. Of 

 course, it is only an assumption that it 

 was the same trout ; but the reasonable- 

 ness of the assumption is very great. 

 Incidents of that kind are plentiful 

 enough to afford ground for believing 

 that the fish are not scared by the passage 

 of a .boat. In the second place, I am not 

 sure that it is only the trout by the very 

 eyes of which the minnow passes that 

 are attracted by the lure. It is necessary 

 to remember that, as mentioned near the 



