THE GEATLING 



tackle. Criticism of the grayling is often heard ia England and 

 America, the charge being that it decimates the trout, being an 

 egg eater. This is more or less true, but it depends upon the 

 trout. The Montana grayling and the cut-throat agree very well, 

 but between the grayling and the red-spotted trout there ia 

 war, and the result is fatal to the grayhng. In England it is. 

 believed by many that the grayling is a menace to the German 

 or Brown trout. Listen to the dulcet names of some English 

 streams you may whip with delicate rod : the Wharfe, Swale,, 

 Nidd, Tees, Eye, Derwent, Ouse, the Esk, Eden, North Tyne,, 

 Till, Coquet and Dove. Here are some American streams ; 

 Toxaway, Altamaha, Ogeechee, Ocmulgee, Savannah, Nanta- 

 hala, Tugaloo. These are the Indian names of American laugh- 

 ing waters in the Southern states. 



The Wharfe is a delightful little grayling river, which rises on 

 the green slopes of Cam Fell. IS"ear Bolton Abbey and woods- 

 there is grayling angling, tinted with so rich and sumptuous an 

 historic flavour I am sure I never could hook a grayUng there ; 

 it would be hke the Eibble. At every cast I saw CromweU, or 

 George Fox, Bishop Laud, Sir Harry Vane, Pym, and all the 

 crowned heads from Charles the First to James, who liberated 

 my sixth great-grandfather from the Tower and sent him back to 

 America with estates restored. In America the diversions or 

 digressions are beautiful scenery, splendid mountains, but when 

 historic lore is added at every foot one may be pardoned for 

 missing the game altogether. 



At Pool, Arthington, CoUingham Bridge, Boston Spa, Tad- 

 caster, UUeskelf, and Eyther there is more or less grayling- 

 fishing, and so in the towns on the Mdd, as Cattal, where the 

 Harrogate Angling Club holds forth, the Swale, Derwent and 

 other streams mentioned in bewildering number, and all char- 

 acteristic of the splendid reaches and perfect landscapes of Eng- 

 land. 



I am indebted to Francis M. Walbran for the following inter- 

 esting list of flies he has tried on Yorkshire rivers, which are 



23 



