CLASSES OF CONDITIONS 131 



one after another in rapid succession, but will allow 

 the best imitations to float over them untouched, even 

 when placed with the greatest delicacy and accuracy. 

 Again, on a day when the natural insects are com- 

 paratively scarce the trout may be quite silly and 

 rise at the artificial, fasten and get killed in great 

 numbers. 



We now come to the second class of conditions, 



those which are best described 

 Weather as affecting by the word climatic. In this 

 the rise. country the weather is of so 



changeable a nature, and we 

 are all so much affected in various ways by heat or 

 cold, rain or brilliant sunshine, snow or sleet, that 

 throughout our short lives we are prone to attach 

 undue importance to climatic conditions. The same 

 rule applies with even increased strength to the angler. 

 When he is successful he usually imputes his success 

 in part to the weather, and when he is utterly beaten 

 and returns at night with an empty creel he generally 

 attributes his failure to a similar cause. 



It is quite impossible to lay down any general laws 

 which would enable the fisherman to predict even for 

 a few hours ahead what his sport was likely to be from 

 readings of barometer or thermometer, direction or 

 strength of the wind, rainfall or any other climatic 

 condition which can be measured by instruments of 

 precision. With a rising, falling or steady weather- 

 glass, in tropical heat, Arctic cold or temperature of 

 the normal, the fish may or may not rise; there may 



