BERKELEY 
 
 GENERAL 
 LIfcRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 CALIFORNIA 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
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CATCHING THE 
 WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 BY 
 A. R. HARRIS CASS, M.B.E, 
 
 Author of 
 
 " The Budding Angler " 
 
 " Sea- Fishing from the Shore " 
 
 "Angling for Brown Trout" 
 
 HERBERT JENKINS LIMITED 
 3 DUKE OF YORK STREET 
 ST. JAMES'S LONDON S.W.r 
 
First printing 
 
 THIS BOOK IS PRODUCED IN 
 COMPLETE CONFORMITY WITH THE 
 AUTHORIZED ECONOMY STANDARDS 
 
 PrifUed in Great Briiain by Wytnan & Sons Ltd., Londwi, Reading and FakenJiam 
 
C3S3 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 This is not a theoretical book : it is a practical exposition 
 of how to catch sea-trout both by day and by night. 
 
 Having had belligerent relationship with the fish for 
 more than half a century, I have no hesitation in offering 
 the book as a simple guide for the novice and graduate 
 aUke, as in it are suggestions of value not previously 
 placed at the disposal of sea-trout anglers. 
 
 A. R. H. C. 
 
 lVi842099 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. THE SEA-TROUT - - - - - - 9 
 
 II. WHERE TO FISH ------ 19 
 
 III. TACKLE -------27 
 
 IV. OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS - - 37 
 V. OTHER MEANS OF CATCHING SEA-TROUT - 48 
 
 VI. HAUNTS OF THE SEA-TROUT - - - - 56 
 
 VII. DAY FISHING WITH FLY - - - - 65 
 
 VIII. DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW " " 75 
 
 IX. NIGHT FISHING. ANTICIPATION - - - 87 
 
 X. NIGHT FISHING. REALIZATION - - - 96 
 
 XI. STRIKING AND PLAYING - - - - 105 
 
 XII. KNOTS AND KNACKS ----- 113 
 
 INDEX - - - 125 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY THE AUTHOR 
 
 Where Sea-Trout Run - - - - Frontispiece 
 
 Facing Page 
 Streamy Water ------- 36 
 
 Light and Shade -- 37 
 
 A Long Stickle -- 80 
 
 Bushy Banks - - -81 
 
CATCHING THE WILY 
 SEA-TROUT 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE SEA-TROUT 
 
 MUCH has been written concerning the sahnon, while 
 the dainty *' brownie " has received an ampUtude 
 of attention both in books and in the angUng periodicals, 
 but that grand fighting fish, the wily sea-trout, has 
 escaped with only a modicum of notice. 
 
 When the white-tipped rollers thunder on the beach, 
 to the accompaniment of the sharp cries of the gulls, he 
 who prospects from the sea-shore accepts with genuine 
 satisfaction the " flats '' which fall to his lures, but he 
 hopes earnestly that a spirited bass will be his next 
 victim. Similarly, when the leaves are past the prime 
 of summer green and the cuckoo calls no more, most 
 trouters are content to collect nice baskets of fish, but 
 many yearn for the day when the tug of a sea-trout will 
 bo felt. 
 
 Even the salmon fisher, who longs to gaff a forty 
 pounder, is not averse from sampling a fresh-run sea- 
 trout ; yet the migratory trout, to give it its legal name 
 in conformity with the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries 
 Act, is often an " also ran " according to the publicity 
 which it receives in some districts, and frequently it does 
 not gain the kudos which is due to its status. 
 
 Probably the reason for this comparative difference in 
 treatment is owing to the fact that in trout waters the 
 
10 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 ubiquitous beauties are ever ready to give good accounts 
 of themselves, while the salmon are waiting throughout 
 the season to take advantage of spates, whereas the sea- 
 trout in some rivers do not make their appearance until 
 spring has given way to summer. Therefore, from the 
 opening of the season until the close, both trout and 
 salmon rods can be employed with a fair measure of 
 success, but the sea-trout specialist has to exercise 
 patience until his quarry decides to venture a run. 
 
 Again, the trout man and the salmon fisher may 
 choose, at any period in the long season, the day of days 
 when sport is at its best, but such good fortune, in some 
 districts, cannot be enjoyed during the same extended 
 period by the seeker of the sea-trout. 
 
 Personally I do not regard the sea-trout seriously in 
 the rivers which I fish until midsummer-day is past, as I 
 consider the prospect as being hopeless. True, an odd 
 fish may run in the early days of the season, but to whip 
 pool after pool with the object of connecting with a 
 solitary fish does not appeal to me as being sufficiently 
 alluring. 
 
 We anglers, however, desire something more than mere 
 opinion to influence us ; therefore, with the aim of 
 obtaining documentary evidence to support my views, 
 I scrutinized a year's fishing reports in the angling press, 
 and my labours were well recompensed, as I discovered 
 many informative notes which upheld my contention. 
 
 One contribution from an Irish correspondent was 
 most illuminating. He stated that latterly sea-trout 
 had been appearing much earlier than formerly in the 
 rivers of Antrim and Derry, for May and even late April 
 had seen the arrival of these fish, as against late June 
 and early July of some years back. 
 
 The writer of the April angling notes on the Lan- 
 cashire Lune, that excellent sea-trout water, reported 
 
THE SEA-TROUT II 
 
 that sea-trout had come up earlier than usual, several 
 having been seen in the middle reaches, but none, as yet, 
 had been caught. He added that the big sea-trout of 
 the Lune are always elusive early in the season. 
 
 Right from the commencement of the season inter- 
 esting notes were forthcoming from all rivers of the 
 capture of salmon and brown trout, but not until the year 
 was well forward was there mention of a sea-trout catch, 
 and then of only a single fish. 
 
 These odd fish establish no guide to the sport. In 
 February, many years ago, when fishing from a South 
 Devon beach, I hooked and landed a bass of eight pounds 
 in weight, but no one would dream of suggesting that 
 these fish were inshore, as we sea anglers know that 
 bass rarely approach the shore before June. 
 
 To-day, September 25th, when walking round my 
 garden in South Devon where snow is almost unknown 
 and a severe frost is an exception, where my mimosa 
 tree, as high as an average elm, is a yellow cascade of 
 bloom in black January much to the amazement of 
 visitors, I picked a bunch of wild sweet smelling blue 
 violets in the hedge-bank, but I know that spring is not 
 yet. No, you cannot arrive at a logical conclusion by 
 accepting soHtary examples as fundamental standards. 
 
 To enable me to make a comprehensive survey of the 
 peregrinations of the sea-trout I compiled a chronological 
 record, month by month, of the reports emanating from 
 all parts of the British Isles. March was a blank. The 
 notes for April provided me with the news that a flood 
 had brought a fair run of large sea-trout to the Teign. 
 The reports for the month of May were more hopeful, 
 as not only were the fish seen running in the rivers of 
 such widely separated counties as Devonshire and Lan- 
 cashire, but mention was made of small catches in the 
 Tavy, the Lune and the Rheidol. 
 
12 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 The records of June did not show much improvement 
 on those for May, although the sea-trout came more 
 into prominence, as correspondents covering many rivers 
 stated that the fish were running, while the Irish scribe 
 suggested that on the Connemara waters sea-trout 
 fishing would be in full swing during the coming month. 
 The Mourne reporter stated that though some sea-trout 
 had been noticed the time was too early to expect them 
 in numbers. Some fish, however, were reported to have 
 been taken in a few rivers in England. 
 
 Ju^y provided a plethora of pleasing reports. From 
 the rivers of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales came 
 records of excellent catches of sea-trout, both in numbers 
 and in weights. These fish, turning the scale at any- 
 thing from a pound to seven pounds, were rewarding day 
 and evening anglers alike. 
 
 The news for August and September was equally 
 satisfactory, and the good work of bringing nice fish to 
 the net continued until the close of the season at various 
 dates. 
 
 From this short summary, intending sea-trout anglers 
 can have no difficulty in deciding the best period in 
 which to ply their art. 
 
 Of course it must be clearly understood that I have 
 been dealing solely with river fishing. In such waters 
 as the lake at Waterville, County Kerry, as this stretch 
 is called locally, and Loch Lomond marvellous sport 
 with sea-trout can be enjoyed practically throughout 
 the season. 
 
 Of the comparative scanty amount of literature devoted 
 to the sea-trout there are, albeit, some books of out- 
 standing merit, and mention of a few of these may be 
 welcomed. Hamish Stuart was responsible for a note- 
 worthy work on the subject. Bridgett's book on sea- 
 trout fishing is another admirable effort. On the " Life 
 
THE SEA-TROUT I3 
 
 of the Sea-trout " there is, I think, nothing better than 
 G. Herbert NalFs book, while the name of Henry Lamond 
 stands out conspicuously as the author of a book con- 
 cerning the sea-trout. Should, however, your bookseller 
 have difficulty in obtaining for you copies of the books 
 to which I have referred, an advertisement in Angling, 
 the Fishing Gazette or other similar publication which 
 caters for the angler might prove effective. There is 
 always the possibility of someone possessing a book which 
 he no longer requires, but there is small hope of a collector 
 parting with his treasures. To-day, the hobby of making 
 a collection of works on angling is greater than it ever 
 was, and many fishermen are the proud owners of rare 
 and valuable old editions, in addition to the numerous 
 modern volumes on nearly every aspect of angling. In 
 fact, Uterature devoted to fishing seems to be as popular 
 as is the sport. 
 
 If your quest for a book on the life of the sea-trout is 
 not fulfilled, perhaps a few brief notes here on the life 
 history of the fish may be opportune. 
 
 The ways of the sea-trout are very similar to those of 
 the salmon. The chief difference in the respective 
 habits of the two fish is that the salmon, on leaving the 
 rivers for the sea, travel far away, perhaps hundreds of 
 miles into the ocean, while the sea-trout on reaching 
 salt-water are content to travel up and down the estuary, 
 without making a journey of any real distance out to sea. 
 
 Sea-trout, like the salmon, return to the waters in 
 which they were hatched, and the spawning methods of 
 both species are practically identical. On reaching the 
 redds, the hen fish selects a favoured place on the gravelly 
 bed and lays her eggs, the cock fish cruising in close 
 attendance ready to milt the deposited eggs. 
 
 One remarkable difference between the salmon and the 
 sea-trout is that the former is computed not to be capable 
 
14 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 of exceeding five spawnings, whereas the sea-trout, by 
 the markings on its scales, has been known to spawn on 
 nine occasions. From the striking dissimilarity in the 
 number of spawnings the fact is deduced that the sea- 
 trout can stand the effects of spawning much better than 
 can the salmon. 
 
 The sea-trout, like the salmon, spawns in late autumn 
 or in early winter. 
 
 When the salmon has spawned it is a very poor looking 
 object. Gone is the silvery hue, and, instead, the colour 
 of the cock fish changes to a dark red. Even the head of 
 this male fish alters in shape. Many of these kelts die 
 from disease, while others are easy prey to poachers and 
 otters. 
 
 The sea-trout also suffers from the spawning effort, 
 but in a lesser degree than the salmon. When the sea- 
 trout is fresh-run it is a beautiful creature in its silvery 
 garb, and, when cooked, its flesh is pink in colour. With 
 its sojourn in fresh- water, it gradually loses its lustre 
 and becomes darker and darker. Then, when cooked, 
 the flesh will be found to have lost its appetizing pinkness. 
 
 Wlien the young sea-trout return to the rivers they do 
 so in large shoals, and the average weight of each of 
 these fish is generally between one and two pounds. 
 The larger fish, usually ranging from three pounds to 
 six pounds in weight, with sometimes a specimen of ten 
 pounds, seek the fresh-water much about the same time 
 as their smaller brethren, but they do not associate with 
 the youngsters. 
 
 An angler, fishing a good pool and providing that the 
 fish are in a taking mood,' should, without undue op- 
 timism, expect to bag ten or a dozen of the smaller fish. 
 
 Most small fish are gregarious, and I regard school sea- 
 trout much in the same manner as I do small pollack and 
 shoal bass. When the small pollack are inshore, you 
 
THE SEA-TROUT I5 
 
 can catch them as quickly as you can re-bait your hook, 
 while shoal bass are equally obliging. Recently I stood 
 on a pier and watched a score of rodsters monotonously 
 hauling up small bass. A friend of mine, when he had 
 reached a hundred and fifty fish, ceased operations as he 
 said that he was tired of the fun. 
 
 The trouble with shoal sea-trout, however, is that you 
 cannot be sure that they have not left your favourite 
 stretch. I have known innumerable cases of the fish 
 running in a night through what are rightly considered 
 to be splendid holding pools and next day not a fish has 
 rewarded the labours of anglers working those pools, 
 while, at the same time, three or four miles farther 
 upstream, excellent results have been achieved. 
 
 The larger sea-trout are not so erratic as the smaller 
 fish, and to connect with a weighty one is not beyond the 
 limits of possibilities, even if the youngsters have for- 
 saken the lengths which usually appeal to them. 
 
 An outstanding example of how these big sea-trout 
 remain in the same stretch of water for a long period 
 came to my notice several years ago. In a salt-marsh 
 a small rhine is cut right across for drainage purposes, 
 and the water-way is about two feet wide and a foot 
 deep. In the summer months this channel is nearly 
 concealed by overhanging rank growth, and the end 
 distant from the river is choked by cress and other water- 
 loving vegetation. 
 
 One evening in early September my wife and I were 
 strolHng over the land, and while my companion was 
 picking a bunch of wild flowers, I, obeying the irresistible 
 urge enjoyed pecuUarly by wielders of the rod, peered 
 in to the still water, hoping thereby to discern a fish, 
 even if only a minnow. Suddenly I stood in amazement 
 and could scarcely beheve my eyes for there, with their 
 heads httle more than a foot from the barrier of tangled 
 
l6 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 weed, were two of the finest sea-trout I have seen. 
 Calling my wife, we took up positions well behind the pair 
 and studied them for a considerable time. Their beautiful 
 silvery livery denoted that they were fresh-run and I 
 estimated that each fish was between eight and ten 
 pounds in weight. I wondered whether they were 
 spawning bent, but, apart from an almost imperceptible 
 movement of their fins, they were motionless and ap- 
 parently were indifferent to their confines. How they 
 had entered this narrow and shallow course was a mystery 
 to me, as, for months, no appreciable rain had fallen, 
 and merely a mud patch connected the channel to the 
 river. 
 
 Day after day, for more than a week, I visited the 
 entrancing scene and found the two fish ever in the same 
 place. There was no legitimate method of catching 
 them, and to deal with them ignominiously did not 
 appeal to me : such an act would have been similar to 
 that employed by a *' sportsman " whom I once met 
 and who, failing to sprinkle bolting rabbits with his gun, 
 shot, at short range, a wretched trapped one and carried 
 it as proof of his prowess until somebody naively drew 
 his attention to the fact that the rabbit, with a smashed, 
 bleeding and dangling leg, had very recently been 
 removed from a gin. 
 
 One nlorning, on paying my self-appointed routine call 
 to the rhine, I received an unpleasant surprise : the two 
 fish had disappeared and, though I carefully scrutinised 
 the water from end to end, there was no sign of the 
 beauties. I was satisfied that no one had taken the 
 fish, as the marsh is far removed from habitation, and is 
 not frequented by anglers, workmen or walkers. Some- 
 how the pair had regained the river. 
 
 That evening an angler, a stranger to the district, 
 fishing for sea-trout within a hundred yards of where the 
 
THE SEA-TROUT I7 
 
 cutting joins the river, hooked and landed a brace of 
 bonny jBsh each turning the scale at over eight pounds. 
 Whether his success was a remarkable coincidence, or 
 whether he had accounted for the pair which had escaped 
 from the rhine I know not, but the strange part of the 
 story is that this river can in no respects be described 
 as being good sea-trout water. Probably in a season it 
 yields no more than a score of fish. However, this catch 
 gave the river much publicity and established an undying 
 record for it. 
 
 One question that is put to me regularly, year after 
 year, is whether sea-trout feed when, for spawning pur- 
 poses, they return to the river, or whether they are like 
 salmon which, during their stay in fresh-water, according 
 to the accepted theory, ignore all tit-bits. 
 
 Some salmon fishers, with the utmost assurance, will 
 tell you that salmon snap at a fly merely out of curiosity, 
 other men will glibly inform you that the fish is irritated 
 by the proffered bait and seeks to destroy it, while other 
 users of the salmon rod are equally positive that the fish 
 cannot resist sampling a properly thrown dainty morsel 
 whether it be fly or prawn, minnow or plug, or even a 
 bunch of garden worms. I have no means of deciding 
 what is the mental attitude of a salmon concerning the 
 value of the variety of lures offered to it, but in an attempt 
 to gain knowledge, I have lain on a river bank, under 
 which a salmon has been sheltering, and have flicked 
 lobworms into the water in the vicinity of the fish. 
 Several minutes after the worm has settled on the bed, 
 the salmon has appeared, picked up the prize and vanished 
 under the spreading bushes. Whilst on many occasions 
 from my lookout I have observed a salmon dash, again 
 and again, through a shoal of minnows. Further, I have 
 seen a salmon, with a six inch trout broadside in its 
 mouth, shpping through a pool. Whether any of these 
 
 B 
 
l8 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 incidents can be accepted as evidence that salmon feed 
 in the river I cannot say. 
 
 To carry my investigations a stage further I have 
 examined the contents of the stomachs of brown trout, 
 salmon and sea-trout respectively. The results regarding 
 the brown trout are most conclusive as its stomach is 
 usually packed with all kinds of fare, together with a 
 strange assortment of grit and shells, but the maw of 
 the salmon contains nothing but a slimy substance. 
 In the stomach of the sea-trout, be the fish fresh-run or 
 stale, I have observed a slight similar slimy composition 
 and consequently I suggest that sea-trout do not feed 
 up-river in the same way as do brown trout. 
 
 Further, on opening a fresh-run sea-trout I have 
 noticed that there is a quantity of fat inside, but a stale 
 fish, one that has been some time in the river, is always 
 minus this fat. The deduction that I draw from these 
 facts is the sea-trout whilst up-river lives on its own fat. 
 
 To satisfy myself by independent testimony I put the 
 question to an aged poacher who, since his boyhood, had 
 worked illicitly a certain river, and in those early days 
 he had done so under the expert guidance of his father, 
 another notable poacher. I repeat his views for what 
 they are worth as they are somewhat interesting. His 
 definite opinion is that salmon and sea-trout do not feed 
 in the usually accepted sense of the meaning, but that 
 both species take into their mouths acceptable deUcacies, 
 suck all the nutriment and then eject the unwanted 
 remnants. 
 
 The old chap based his belief on the ground that a 
 kelt, if it remained in the river for a lengthy time after 
 spawning, improved in condition and weight. He con- 
 cluded his argument with the contention that no fish 
 could accomplish that by living on water alone. 
 
 This novel exposition certainly deserves more than 
 
WHERE TO FISH I9 
 
 passing notice, as any suggestion which assists in reveal- 
 ing the mysteries of the finny world should be received 
 with respect, if not enthusiasm, as, however much we 
 may know about this rather obscure subject, there is 
 still room for further research. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 WHERE TO FISH 
 
 WHERE to fish is a problem that confronts innumer- 
 able anglers, and unfortunately the situation 
 deteriorates steadily with the passing of time. Every 
 season sees a marked increase in the fishing ranks, and 
 the reasons for this augmentation are two-fold, inasmuch 
 as not only are more young people turning to angling 
 for the initial sport in their careers, but hundreds of 
 hard-bitten golfers, no longer able to use the courses 
 owing to these being required for other purposes, are 
 seeking a fresh recreation by the water-side. Further, 
 pollution is restricting considerably the chances to wet 
 a line, as, unhappily, some streams which, in the days of 
 my youth, were crystal waters fit to drink, are now little 
 better than open sewers. 
 
 Again, many rivers which I can remember as holding 
 excellent heads of fish are at the present time nearly 
 denuded of their rightful inhabitants as the results of 
 poaching and the capture of immature fish. I have, 
 again and again, seen men, men who should have known 
 better, bag brown trout much below the takable limit, 
 also parr. Why these rodsters act against their own 
 interests is an insolvable mystery to me, especially as 
 
20 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 the ethics of true sportsmanship are based on honesty 
 of purpose and consideration for other followers of the 
 game. 
 
 Another difficulty with which prospective anglers have 
 to contend is the disinclination of certain local fishermen 
 to afford information concerning the rivers which they 
 fish. Much to the annoyance of some of these indi- 
 viduals whose one standard is personal interest, I have 
 refused to be muzzled and, for the benefit of angling 
 friends and others, I have, without fear or favour, 
 reviewed the merits of various waters as they have 
 appealed to me. 
 
 Years ago I was approached by several anglers who 
 requested me not to mention the river which they fished. 
 They said that they desired to keep the water for their 
 sole use and to be free of visitors. My answer, at once, 
 was to the effect that I could not entertain such a selfish 
 suggestion. My explanation of my refusal was that I 
 had always supplied information which I considered 
 would be useful to the readers of the angling press and 
 that I could not see my way clear to depart from my 
 usual procedure. The members of this pettifogging 
 clique were most chagrined at my reception of their 
 entreaty, and were more so when they found that my 
 word had been kept irrespective of their pleadings. In 
 fact, ever afterwards, these individuals failed to be civil 
 to me. That puerile gesture, however, did not bother 
 me, and I was delighted when followers of my advice 
 later tried the river with good results. 
 
 The extraordinary feature concerning the incident is 
 that the applicants for their river's immunity from 
 notice were strangers to the district. They were men of 
 wealth and they had outbid the *' locals " for the fishing 
 rights of that particular stretch of river. Then, having 
 been successful, they, by a gradual extension of their 
 
WHERE TO FISH 21 
 
 preserves, ultimately squeezed out the remaining angling 
 tenants. 
 
 If this kind of practice becomes general, the day is 
 not far distant when the opportunities for the free-lance 
 angler will be severely restricted, and he will be forced 
 to rely on club or hotel waters, as owners who let rods 
 on their rivers will cease to exist. 
 
 The angler who possesses a copy of that admirable 
 book " Where to Fish,'' published by the Field, will have 
 no difficulty in making a satisfactory choice of suitable 
 venues, as the work is both comprehensive and highly 
 informative. Unfortunately, an edition of it has not 
 been published since the year 1939, and available copies 
 of that issue are now very scarce, with the result that to 
 obtain a second-hand copy is well-nigh impossible. 
 
 Upon obtaining the edition for 1939, I discarded an 
 earlier print. One day, however, I lent my sole copy to 
 a friend who allowed an angling acquaintance to borrow 
 it, and when I tried to retrieve it the book had gone 
 " no address." 
 
 In addition to furnishing complete particulars of the 
 fishing obtainable in every lake, river and stream in the 
 United Kingdom, " Where to Fish " supplies a really 
 good fist of hotels and inns which will satisfy any man 
 with a rod. While included in the pages are numerous 
 germane details. 
 
 So lost have I been without this handy vade 
 mecum that I have made many endeavours to procure 
 a copy, but, up to the present, nobody seems willing 
 to part with the book, so, like other would-be pos- 
 sessors, I must wait in patience until the Field prints 
 a new edition. 
 
 Sea-trout are to be found in most of the rivers of 
 England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, except in those 
 which are too polluted to allow the fish to live in them. 
 
22 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 or in those rivers which flow into estuaries so contaminated 
 that the passage of fish is impossible. 
 
 Many rivers, which at one time were the happy haunts 
 of both salmon and sea-trout, no longer offer a fair way 
 to either species. On numerous occasions I have seen 
 salmon, which have taken the wrong turning and, enter- 
 ing a sewage infected river, struggle valiantly to force a 
 course through the poisonous filth, eventually only to 
 turn up, succumb and float on the surface of the ebbing 
 tide. 
 
 Usually, both salmon and sea-trout frequent the same 
 waters, but to assume that this association is immutable 
 would be erroneous, as although in certain rivers the run 
 of salmon is plentiful, sea-trout are unknown in those 
 lengths. Further, there are other rivers in which sea- 
 trout abound, but salmon have never been known to 
 enter them. Hence, before deciding on a river in which 
 to seek the sea-trout, inquiries should be made to ascer- 
 tain whether, as a rule, these fish run in the water. 
 
 Of course the seasons vary considerably. One year a 
 river may teem with sea-trout, yet the run in the following 
 year may be most meagre. A difference in the depth of 
 the water is often the reason for these anomalies. One 
 season may see a series of heavy rainfalls, and the follow- 
 ing season may be noted for an abnormal drought, so 
 the angler must always be prepared for disappointment 
 even on his favourite streams. 
 
 In a good season the tributaries are often better than 
 the main channel, as sea trout have a habit of quickly 
 running through the deep waters during heavy spates. 
 Perhaps the chief charm of angling is in trying con- 
 clusions with the unknown. 
 
 I heard of a case recently of a casual angler who had 
 never hooked a salmon and whose catch of sea trout 
 during many years could, in the aggregate, be counted 
 
WHERE TO FISH 23 
 
 on one hand. This aspiring devotee went for a week's 
 fishing hoUday in August to a river not bearing a great 
 reputation for sport. When he arrived the river was 
 recovering from a serious flooding following an abnormally 
 heavy fall of rain. During his week's stay he accounted 
 for four salmon, together with over a score of sea-trout, 
 and all the fish were fresh-run. I may add that he 
 was using only sea-trout tackle, and he confined his fish- 
 ing to daylight hours. No doubt, to all his friends he 
 advertised his good fortune, but if those brother anglers 
 visit the river during another August, I am constrained 
 to think that their catches will not prove so exhilarating. 
 
 An excellent plan before making a journey for sea- 
 trout fishing is to get into touch with an angler on the 
 spot so as to ascertain the probable prospects. 
 
 In making such inquiries be sure that the '' local " 
 clearly understands your meaning, as, in some districts, 
 to make reference to a sea-trout would fail to be com- 
 prehended, for the sea-trout has received a number of 
 names. In some areas it is commonly known as salmon- 
 trout, and in others it is described as salmon-peal. In 
 Ireland it bears the name of white trout, while Welshmen 
 prefer to call it sewin. In some parts of Scotland it is 
 often styled finnock. By Devonshire anglers it is in- 
 variably known as peal. It also passes under many other 
 names, such as herling, scurf, truff and whitling, to 
 mention only a few. 
 
 To know the origin of these various designations would 
 be very enlightening, as at first glance there does not 
 appear to be any appropriate connection with the fish. 
 No doubt, however, the respective peoples have reasons 
 for their nomenclatural selections. 
 
 On a farm I once heard the farmer bawling to a boy 
 to bring out the evil. Being nonplussed by the unique 
 demand, I asked the farmer what he meant, and he replied ; 
 
24 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 " Oh, US alius calls a dung-fork a evil." In that par- 
 ticular instance there does seem to be a genuine re- 
 lationship. 
 
 To furnish a complete list of all the rivers in the country 
 wherein sea-trout may reasonably be expected would be 
 too ambitious for a book dealing in general terms with 
 sea-trout angling, so I will content myself by mention- 
 ing those rivers which have afforded me some reward, 
 together with others which have been thoroughly 
 recommended to me by reputable angling friends 
 who have given prolonged trials to the waters of their 
 choice. 
 
 Forming an opinion of any river by an abbreviated 
 visit of an odd week or so is too superficial to constitute 
 a reliable guide to the possibilities of the water, as not 
 only can successive years produce marked fluctuations 
 in the sport obtainable, but even in a single season there 
 is an enormous dissimilarity in the conditions for attack, 
 and thus there is no standard for any river. 
 
 Cases after cases have come to my knowledge where 
 followers of the art have made short sojourns to a river, 
 and, having experienced lean times, have spoken most 
 disparagingly of the water. These reports have been 
 neither fair to the river nor to other anglers who have 
 contemplated future visits. 
 
 Had the expressed views been qualified by a clear 
 statement of the attendant circumstances, the opinions 
 would have conveyed a totally different meaning regard- 
 ing the actual value of the water. 
 
 The result of an angler's efforts, whether poor or other- 
 wise, during one week is no criterion as to what will 
 happen to another rodster at a later date. 
 
 Luckily, we anglers live in inexhaustible hope, and 
 each believes that his essay will be an improvement on 
 that of the other fellow. 
 
WHERE TO FISH J85 
 
 There is no trouble in finding pleasing sea-trout rivers 
 in England, whether the angler is domiciled in the north 
 or in the south. The Cumberland Derwent offers good 
 opportunities in July and August, and reliance can be 
 placed in the Aln during August and September. The 
 Esk usually provides some sport with the arrival of 
 September ; while specimen fish and shoal fish frequent 
 the Lune throughout June, July, August and September. 
 The Wyxe is also worth attention in July, August and 
 September. In the Aran anglers will do well in late 
 July and early August. From midsummer onwards the 
 Devonshire rivers are very attractive, and of these 
 special mention must be made of the Tavy, noted for 
 some big fish, the Teign, a really fine length, the Taw, 
 yielding on occasion a big fish of eight pounds, and the 
 picturesque Dart, which, in the season, is fully stocked : 
 the latter river, however, suffers from peat-stained water 
 after violent spates. 
 
 Many of the rivers and lochs of Scotland are renowned 
 for their ample supplies of sea-trout, and while to name 
 any of these waters is a trifle invidious, I should, perhaps, 
 refer to the River Ness, where nice baskets can be obtained 
 from June until the close of the season, and Loch Lomond, 
 which can be fished hopefully from May onwards. 
 
 Ireland, both in the northern and southern areas, is a 
 country where sea-trout fishing may be pursued with a 
 maximum of success. In the western waters the best 
 time is during July and August. Intending visitors to 
 the Irish waters should make a note of the Mourne and 
 tributaries, the rivers of Antrim, the Connemara stretches 
 and those in the Belfast radius. A drawback to numerous 
 Irish rivers is the presence of flax water pollution, which 
 is prevalent in late August. 
 
 Several rivers in Wales give most satisfactory results, 
 and the man in quest of sea-trout will not go far wrong 
 
26 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 if he wanders along the banks of the Teify, the Rheidol 
 the Usk or the Towy. 
 
 Naturally inquiries concerning rights, charges and 
 licences should be made regarding any water before it is 
 fished. 
 
 To this small nucleus of rivers famed for their sea- 
 trout, the angler, wherever he lives, should, with his 
 local knowledge, be able to add many more waters and so 
 build a record that will be advantageous both to himself 
 and to his fishing friends. 
 
 Those who intend to take up sea-trout fishing seriously 
 will be well advised to keep a record of their operations. 
 Not only are these particulars useful for immediate pur- 
 poses, but in the twilight days they provide memories of 
 past glories and food for pleasant reflections. 
 
 Nothing is more alluring to the arm-chair angler, past 
 the time when the river calls, than to sit, during a winter's 
 evening, in the comforting glow of the fire, turn over the 
 pages which chronicle deeds of yore and live once again 
 in the thrills that the rod has brought to him. Therefore 
 take the advice of an old hand and prepare for the time 
 when active participation in the game wanes or is no 
 longer possible. 
 
 A useful method of preparing the requisite data is on 
 the following lines : 
 
 Date. 
 
 Name of water. 
 Number of fish caught. 
 Weights of fish. 
 Climatic conditions. 
 Water conditions. 
 Other notes. 
 
 If you act on this suggestion you will, beUeve me, 
 
TACKLE 27 
 
 never regret the time devoted to it, for once an angler, 
 always an angler, even if the angler lives to be one only 
 in sweet recollections. 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 TACKLE 
 
 NOT long ago a member of the American armed forces, 
 an ardent fisherman, wished, whilst training in 
 this country, to test his skill with our sea-trout. He had 
 no gear, and he solicited the assistance of a British angler. 
 Together they visited a tackle shop iii a small town in 
 the provinces. The tackle dealer, after listening to a list 
 of the items desired, said that he had all the necessary 
 requirements, and produced a rod, reel, tapered line, 
 tapered casts, together with a quantity of flies. The 
 outfit appeared to be satisfactory in all respects, but the 
 total sum required was in the neighbourhood of twenty 
 pounds. The prospective customer intimated that he 
 was prepared to pay that amount, but his adviser con- 
 sidered that the price was too heavy for only a few days' 
 angling, and hinted to the American that he should visit 
 a nearby village inn which catered for sea-trout anglers 
 who fish an adjacent river. 
 
 The suggestion received a ready response and contact 
 was soon made with the landlord, who enjoys using a 
 rod as much as his numerous clients. Quickly a derelict 
 rod, an old-fashioned brass reel much the worse for wear, 
 a short length of discarded line, a new gut cast and a 
 fly, popular for day-time fishing on this particular water, 
 were assembled. 
 
28 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 No fisherman ever went forth more gaily than did this 
 man of the States, and his quips regarding his lack of 
 experience with the monsters that he had heard were 
 to be caught in the English brooks greatly amused the 
 more orthodox members of the craft staying at the inn. 
 He declined the offer of a landing net, as he said that he 
 thought that by the employment of such a devastating 
 instrument he would be taking an unkind advantage of 
 any fish which patronized his efforts. 
 
 Within a couple of hours he returned with a brace of 
 nice sea-trout, each weighing a pound and a half. So 
 elated was he that he said he would have willingly paid 
 the twenty pounds for the kit offered to him by the 
 tackle dealer, as the sport that he had enjoyed was 
 worth any money. He added that no broncho could 
 jump and rear like the two fish which had caused him 
 such a sweat, and he promised himself a real good time 
 with the hell-fire little devils when the war was won. 
 
 I quote this incident as an answer to those who main- 
 tain that sea-trout can be taken only with expensive 
 tackle. Not unnaturally, most anglers are fond of dis- 
 playing rods and other equipment of a costly character, 
 but price alone is not the deciding factor for achieving 
 success with the sea-trout. 
 
 To deal satisfactorily with this much-debated subject 
 concerning tackle, the better way is to divide the chapter 
 into two parts and to consider fly-work and spinning 
 separately. Each of these two classes of angling has a 
 large number of followers, while many fishers find pleasure 
 in resorting to both methods.- 
 
 Choosing fly-fishing firstly, the most important item 
 to be taken into account is the rod. 
 
 Some anglers are of opinion that for sea-trout and 
 grilse a stout rod of twelve feet or more in length is 
 required. If these men are content to wield a rod weigh- 
 
TACKLE 29 
 
 ing approximately a pound, hour after hour, they are 
 welcome to the exertion. Personally, I see no point in 
 making a toil of pleasure, and I most certainly do not 
 appreciate the need for heavy weapons. 
 
 Having hooked and landed a salmon of thirty pounds 
 with light trout tackle, I refuse to load myself with a 
 long and comparatively weighty rod for the purpose of 
 catching a sea-trout of two or three pounds, or even the 
 more unlikely specimen of eight pounds. 
 
 My favourite sea-trout rod has a length of nine and 
 a half feet, with a weight of about seven ounces. This 
 is simply an ordinary built cane trout fly-rod, and this 
 article has never let me down. 
 
 You do not require a rod with which to skull-drag 
 your fish or to lift it bodily out of the water. All you 
 need is a rod with just sufficient power to enable you to 
 guide your fish away from ugly weed-beds and snaggy 
 banks, and to play the fish to a standstill. The landing 
 net will accomplish the heavier duty of removing the 
 fish from the water. 
 
 There are many suitable rods on the market and, in 
 normal times, you should experience no difficulty in 
 making a proper selection. 
 
 With this type of rod I think that you cannot improve 
 on an ordinary aluminium fly-reel. From choice I use 
 one with a fixed check. With the optional check there 
 is always the risk of an overrun if the check is unwittingly 
 left off. The size which I prefer is one of three inches. 
 The agate line guard is an asset to the reel, as, with 
 constant wear, the line will make cuts in the aluminium 
 cross-bar of the reel. 
 
 In selecting a reel try it first on the assembled rod, 
 so as to be sure that the rod and reel form a perfect 
 balance. This is a highly important qualification for ease 
 and perfection in casting. 
 
30 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 Of course, there is a wide range of reels formed of 
 brass, bronzed brass, gunmetal and bakelite, but the 
 aluminium patterns will take a lot of beating. In 
 addition, reels with choice devices and mechanisms are 
 at your command, and every angler has his own pre- 
 dilection. 
 
 The line is the next item for serious thought. There 
 are many excellent makes from which to choose, and if 
 one of these, the product of a reputable manufacturer, 
 be selected, the angler will be saved unnecessary mis- 
 givings. 
 
 The double-tapered pattern is deservedly popular, and, 
 if possible, you should obtain one of these, but see that 
 it is pliable ; also satisfy yourself that it possesses a fair 
 amount of stiffness so as to permit of an easy shoot, 
 especially against a strong wind. These lines are prepared 
 in various tapers to suit different lengths of rods, and 
 you are advised to buy one to match your rod, otherwise 
 you will upset the balance as a whole. 
 
 An ingenious tapered line is one known as the duplex 
 design. This has a different taper at ea^h end and fulfils 
 the functions of two distinct lines. 
 
 Many good types of level lines are also on the market, 
 and these fully answer their purpose. The price of these 
 level lines is much less than that charged for the tapered 
 kinds. 
 
 The usual length of thirty yards, together with a 
 similar amount of backing, is ample for most occasions. 
 
 A note of warning is not out of place at this stage, 
 and this is, take every care of your line. After your 
 day's trip do not leave a wet line on the reel, but dry it 
 naturally either on a winder or round the back of a 
 wooden chair. Never, for drying purposes, place the 
 line near a fire. 
 
 If the Une is treated kindly it will be reliable for years, 
 
TACKLE 31 
 
 but if it does not receive proper attention it will soon 
 rot. I have heard many complaints about alleged rotten 
 lines, but invariably the fault has been with the angler 
 and not with the manufacturer. 
 
 A generous supply of casts is essential, as accidents 
 are prone to happen, however careful an angler may 
 be ; awkward trees or submerged roots have a pernicious 
 habit of creating trouble, and to be deprived suddenly 
 of the only suitable cast is a catastrophe. 
 
 I am a strong believer in fine tackle, and for day- 
 work with sea-trout 3X satisfies me, but for night fishing 
 I mount 2X. As I never attach more than one fly, a 
 cast of two yards fulfils my requirements. 
 
 Naturally, this is merely a matter of opinion, and 
 every angler follows his own inclination. Numerous sea- 
 trout fishermen need casts of much heavier size, but I 
 think that a fine cast stands a greater chance of accounting 
 for fish, especially in clear water. 
 
 I have never lost a fish owing to a fractured cast, 
 but every time before starting operations I make sure 
 that the cast is in a perfect condition, and, as my casts 
 are ones of silkworm gut, I do not run risks by employing 
 one for too lengthy a period. Silkworm gut weakens 
 with use, so to abandon a doubtful cast is much wiser 
 than to miss a good fish. 
 
 To apply the acid test to a cast, so as to ascertain 
 whether it is sound, take the cast, when dry, in both 
 hands and give it a strong, steady pull, experimenting 
 with about eighteen inches at a time. Do not, of course, 
 subject it to vicious jerks. 
 
 In addition to the silkworm gut, casts are formed of 
 gut substitute, synthetic gut and other materials. Many 
 claims are advanced for these artificial gut casts, but only 
 experience will prove whether the silkworm gut can be 
 ousted. 
 
32 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 Silkworm gut and gut substitute must be thoroughy 
 soaked in water before the casts are knotted. The time 
 allowed for soaking depends on the gauge of the cast. 
 The fine sizes need about half an hour's immersion, and 
 a period of two hours is not out of proportion for the 
 thick type used for salmon fishing : a few minutes too 
 long is better than a few minutes too short. 
 
 Synthetic or artificial gut can be knotted without being 
 soaked. 
 
 In selecting any casts be sure to purchase a good brand. 
 Silkworm gut varies considerably in quality and reputable 
 manufacturers use only the best. 
 
 We will now turn our attention to the tackle needed for 
 spinning. Here again we are faced with a diversity of 
 views. Probably this broad outlook has its virtues, 
 otherwise we all would be working to one standard, 
 irrespective of individual tastes and abilities. 
 
 Some anglers are not content unless they are sweeping 
 through the air huge rods of sixteen feet in length, with 
 a weight of two pounds. Others, not quite so robust, 
 prefer less unwieldy instruments for their task. The 
 disciples of each school, however, will assure you that 
 theirs is the better proposition, and, what is more, both 
 sects have complete faith in their respective contentions. 
 How difficult it is, therefore, to offer a convincing lead 
 to the lay mind. The most that any unbiased fisher 
 can do is to leave the subject an open one. 
 
 Hundreds of persons, when embarking on their initial 
 fishing exploits, select a certain type of rod, persevere 
 with it and thus become unresponsive to the efficacies 
 of other kinds. This is very regrettable, as possibly these 
 recruits would have grown more expert had they given 
 trials to a variety of rods and then decided upon the 
 pattern which they could employ with the greatest of 
 ease. 
 
TACKLE 33 
 
 If the chance occurs to you of making a few throws 
 with a friend's rod, especially if his rod is totally at 
 variance in length and weight to the one which you use, 
 avail yourself of the opportunity. By so doing you can 
 form a ready estimation of the merits and demerits of 
 both makes. 
 
 Although when purchasing a tackle outfit you assemble 
 the rod and reel and make several false casts, you cannot 
 arrive at a true opinion of the articles until you have 
 made a test with them in actual waterside conditions. 
 
 A spinning rod may be regarded as being effective 
 when, inter alia, it facilitates distant and accurate 
 casting. 
 
 Most spinning rods are built in lengths ranging from 
 eight feet to twelve feet, but many light ones of an 
 intriguant character, in lengths from seven feet to eight 
 feet six inches, are obtainable. 
 
 While some spinning rods are constructed of green- 
 heart, the more expensive types are built of cane, and 
 the refinements supplied with the better-class rods vary 
 in proportion to the price. 
 
 Rightly you will expect me to offer a suggestion on 
 this complex subject, but I must confine myself to the 
 results of personal experience. 
 
 Many spinning rods have passed through my hands, 
 and the one which meets with my approval was built 
 to order. It is in reality a spinning rod built for salmon 
 fishing, but I know none better for sea-tront. It is 
 constructed of cane with lockfast joints, and is ten feet 
 in length. The three joints are closely whipped and are 
 fitted with agate rings, three on the top joint, three on 
 the middle joint and one on the bottom joint, in addition 
 to the usual agate end ring. 
 
 With a specific object I mention the number and 
 placings of the agate rings. If you examine most spinning 
 c 
 
34 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 rods, you will find that the top joint is supplied with two 
 agate rings and the second joint with a like number. 
 If a heavy salmon is hooked and it gives some trouble, 
 the rod with the larger total of rings together with close 
 whippings will bear the strain without ill effects. If the 
 strain is not so equally distributed, the possibiUty of a 
 fractured rod is ever present. 
 
 This special rod, fitted with a Coxon aerial reel of 
 four and a half inches, is superb in action and has stood 
 the test of year after year. Even now it is as good as 
 when it was built. 
 
 Although I have specified a certain reel, an opinion 
 should not be formed that this is the only or the best 
 reel at your command. I mentioned this reel precisely 
 as it is the one which I mount on the particular rod. 
 There are, however, numerous excellent reels suitable 
 for spinning from which to make a selection. Some of 
 these reels are truly marvellous in their perfect mechanism 
 and are noted for their high standard of workmanship. 
 
 I must confess that if, with the object of purchasing a 
 spinning reel, I entered a tackle shop in normal times, I 
 should be at a loss to make up my mind, as there are so 
 many reels worthy of notice ; and if I had unlimited 
 means I should probably buy a score of different patterns 
 to try out. No doubt, after serious experiments, I should 
 still be unable to suggest which is the finest tool. 
 Therefore my advice to a tyro is to decide on a model 
 produced by a reputable firm and be satisfied. 
 
 A level-plaited silk line of sixty yards in length and a 
 breaking strain of ten pounds is appropriate for spinning 
 for sea-trout. If not waterproofed, the line should be 
 thoroughly dressed with oil, as this will prolong the Hfe 
 of the fine, while the oiHng also tends for smoother 
 running. 
 
 Some minnow tackles are suppUed with a gut mount 
 
TACKLE 35 
 
 of a yard in length, including two steel box swivels, 
 each generally three-eighths of an inch long. 
 
 If you wish to mount metal minnows you will require 
 a stock of gut casts one yard long and iX in size, together 
 with a supply of small steel box swivels. I suggest a 
 somewhat heavier size of gut casts for spinning than that 
 used for fly-work, as the trebles are liable to foul weeds 
 and twigs, and, to retrieve the minnow, force has often 
 to be employed. 
 
 Should you contemplate threadline fishing, you will 
 require a special reel, usually described as a " fixed spool " 
 or " stationary drum " pattern. Several reliable makes 
 are now on the market, and each will function with a 
 maximum of ease. In addition, a suitable line is neces- 
 sary : A waxed, plaited silk one of fifty yards, with a 
 breaking strain of six pounds, will suffice for sea-trout 
 spinning, but some anglers prefer to use a gut substitute 
 line. 
 
 The advantages of threadUning may be briefly out- 
 lined as follows. The minnow or other similar bait can 
 be cast long distances direct from the reel, without the 
 risk of an overrun. The slipping clutch of the reel per- 
 mits a hooked fish to jump suddenly and bolt without 
 breaking the line, although at that instant the angler 
 is reeling in the fish. Further, the line can be retrieved 
 with the utmost rapidity. 
 
 I am not a lover of threadlining, as the time occupied 
 in playing a fish is, in my opinion, altogether too long. 
 If you hook, in a desirable pool, a sea-trout of two pounds, 
 the fish, by the time it has spent itself, will have covered 
 practically all the water and, as a result of its wild darts, 
 will have so disturbed the pool that other likely fish will 
 be put down for a lengthy period. 
 
 This style of fishing is, I maintain, suitable only when 
 the angler is working private waters and then when he 
 
36 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 has the reach for his sole enjoyment, otherwise the thread- 
 Uner is a nuisance to his fellows. He then is on a par 
 with a " rabbit '* on a golf course who, by his foothng, 
 holds up all the other players, but in that contingency 
 you can reUeve yourself by shouting '' fore." 
 
 Some years ago I was, with half a dozen other fisher- 
 men, trying for bass from a bridge that spans an estuary. 
 We were float-fishing and were doing nicely until the 
 advent of a man with a threadline outfit. This fresh 
 arrival soon found himself engaged with a pugnacious 
 bass weighing a trifle over six pounds. But what a 
 commotion ensued. To and fro, forwards and back- 
 wards, the hooked one raced and splashed, gathering 
 first one and then another of the drifting tackles belonging 
 to the helpless anglers. Ultimately, after some relevant, 
 albeit forcible, remarks from the aggrieved ones, the 
 threadUner left the bridge for a more convenient stance 
 on the bankside and managed to coax his quarry ashore. 
 By this time the remainder of us had, in disgust, packed 
 our rods and gear, leaving the modernist in undisputed 
 occupation. 
 
 As another sidelight, and a new one on threadUning, 
 I cannot do better than to quote the original and spon- 
 taneous views of an expert salmon and sea-trout fisher, 
 a man who, on English and Scotch waters, is noted for 
 his extraordinary ability with the rod. In the course of 
 a fishing trip along a river-bank, during the past month, 
 I met the skilled one just as he had grassed a beautiful 
 fresh-run cock salmon of thirty odd pounds, and jokingly 
 I asked him if his success was due to threadlining. 
 *' Threadlining be damned ! " he answered, and con- 
 tinued, '* IVe given the idea a proper trial, but I consider 
 that it is a brutal and cruel method. I shoot and fish, 
 and although I am everlastingly kilUng God's creatures, 
 I do so as mercifully as possible. See that fish. Well, 
 
H 
 CO 
 
Q 
 
 < 
 
 'J) 
 
 < 
 
OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS 37 
 
 it was out of the water and dead within eight minutes of 
 it taking the minnow. Now, if I had been threadlining 
 it would have been tortured for two hours before I could 
 have brought it to the gaff, and I call that wanton cruelty. 
 There's no sense in it/' 
 
 Strange as it may seem, this legitimate killer of birds 
 and fish has a very tender heart, and in the sanctum of 
 his fishing cottage there is a beige curtain hanging over 
 a door. This curtain he will never allow to be touched, 
 as in the autumn it is a sanctuary for many butterflies. 
 Red Admirals and peacocks, tortoiseshells and brimstones ; 
 and the old '' sport '' derives a wealth of happiness by 
 gazing affectionately on what he calls his pets. 
 
 Truly, we are a queer mixture, and anglers are not 
 wanting in peculiarities. 
 
 As threadlining is growing in popularity, every aspect 
 of that form of fishing deserves careful analysis and deep 
 thought. 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS 
 
 HAVING disposed of the fundamentals needed for 
 sea-trout fishing, attention can now be paid to 
 the ancillaries. Of these many are essential, while some, 
 being of secondary importance, may be relegated to the 
 sphere of joyful anticipation. 
 
 The chief obstacle in writing a book on angling is that 
 the author has to cater for both the novice and the 
 expert. The former will say, *' I should like to read 
 more about that." while the latter will dismiss much 
 
38 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 with the words *' I already know all about that/' There- 
 fore, for obvious reasons, the book has to be guided 
 along the middle course with the object of endeavouring 
 to satisfy alike the unsophisticated and the blase. 
 
 While to accumulate any and every item of gear is 
 very alluring, there is much to be said for the man who 
 prefers to travel light . He who, when going fishing, clutters 
 himself with every imaginable gadget is not always to be 
 envied. On the other hand, the angler who cuts his 
 paraphernalia too fine may, on occasion, be placed in the 
 unhappy position of finding that he is minus something 
 which at that fateful moment is of primary value. 
 
 A landing net is very necessary and the one customarily 
 used for brown trout is adequate for sea-trout up to a 
 weight of three or four pounds. Beyond that limit a 
 larger net is usually required. 
 
 Some anglers, hoping to connect with a specimen of 
 eight or ten pounds, arm themselves with a gaff. For 
 outsize fish a gaff is decidedly convenient, but care should 
 be exercised when employing this weapon. If possible, 
 force the point of the gaff through the root of the dorsal 
 fin which is exceedingly tough. If you unluckily puncture 
 the back of the fish, blood will flow profusely and to such 
 an extent that the fish will quickly deteriorate. Should 
 you be faced with this misfortune, lose no time in plugging 
 the hole with grass. By resorting to this act of first 
 aid you will stop the bleeding. 
 
 Numerous fishers have a strong partiahty for the tailer. 
 This implement is most effective if properly employed. 
 Further, it is light and easy to carry. 
 
 A fishing bag of ample proportions is another item of 
 utility, for in it you can pack a not inconsiderable quantity 
 of tackle, together with your spoil. These bags, con- 
 structed of various materials, are made to suit the eco- 
 nomical as well as the wealthy man. The superior patterns, 
 
OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS 39 
 
 in addition to providing many pleasing devices, are 
 cheaper in the end, as they defy years of hard wear. 
 
 A fly-box is highly essential, and the types from which 
 to make a selection are so varied that the desires of the 
 most fastidious angler can be met. Boxes with respec- 
 tively six, twelve, sixteen or twenty-four compartments 
 are the ones in general use. Other boxes are fashioned 
 with clips, and these have capacities for holding any 
 number of flies up to a total of 120. In addition there 
 are such novelties as revolving boxes, and others are 
 supplied with plastic material. Yet again there are many 
 forms of fly-books. 
 
 Another useful adjunct is a tackle-box for carrying 
 metal minnows and like lures. Some anglers are content 
 to drop into their fishing bags these minnows with 
 trebles attached. If you possess a tidy mind, you will 
 avoid confusion and annoyance by packing your minnows 
 orderly in a partitioned receptacle. 
 
 An item which should not be omitted from your kit 
 is a damping-box for casts. As may be expected, many 
 of these utensils are fashioned for your choice, and you 
 will have no trouble in making a wise selection. A note 
 of warning should, however, be sounded. Do not leave 
 your casts between the damp felts when your day's 
 angling is finished. Continuous moisture will weaken 
 the casts and eventually cause them to rot. 
 
 There are many forms of line dryers, and as several of 
 these are most inexpensive, you should not fail to procure 
 one. 
 
 A balance for weighing the captured fish is considered 
 by some anglers to be a luxury and an unnecessary one, 
 but I can assure you that you will experience a lot of 
 gratification by attaching your capture to the hook of 
 a balance and reading the weight. These balances are 
 definitely not prohibitive in price, and, in addition to 
 
40 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 those with small ranges, you can secure one that will 
 register up to fifty pounds. 
 
 Now the time has arrived when consideration can be 
 given to that debatable and inexhaustible subject of 
 artificial flies and minnows. I must confess that I 
 approach, with circumspection, if not diffidence, this 
 evergreen topic, because I swear by one fly for night 
 fishing and one minnow and three, perhaps four, flies for 
 day work. An extremely small repertoire, I admit, but, 
 having given fair trials to scores of other lures of similar 
 character, I take a stand on years of experience, and 
 contend that if the sea-trout will not accept my favourites, 
 they usually will look at none else. 
 
 One benefit which accrues from my methods is my 
 complete indifference to fly-boxes and tackle-boxes when 
 I answer the seasonal call of the sea-trout. 
 
 But, naturally, as all other anglers are not of my way 
 of thinking and will, no doubt, welcome a list of service- 
 able attractions, I must run through a portion of the 
 gamut of sea-trout lures. 
 
 Although for salmon and brown trout-fishing there 
 are hundreds of different and seductive flies and 
 minnows, I really believe that for the sea-trout 
 enthusiast the available hook coverings are multiplied 
 ad infinitum. 
 
 A sea-trout fly is much larger than the size mounted 
 for brown trout, and smaller than the salmon pattern. 
 The size of the hook which I favour for night work for 
 sea-trout is number 3 Redditch scale or number 12 
 Pennel or '' New '' scale. 
 
 Most of the sea-trout flies are merely replicas of salmon 
 flies and are known by identical names. 
 
 Ones which I have tried with mixed results are Alex- 
 andra, Black and Gold, Black and Teal, Blue Boy, 
 Butcher, Claret Jay, Dusty Miller, Fiery Brown, 
 
OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS 4I 
 
 Jock Scott, Peacock, Silver Doctor and Thunder and 
 Lightning. 
 
 There are, of course, many more standard patterns, 
 some of which are, I think, more deadly on particular 
 waters, at certain times, than the ones which I have 
 enumerated. The angler should, therefore, endeavour 
 to glean from local people the type of fly which kills 
 most fish. 
 
 The flies which I have mentioned, together with the 
 other orthodox models, are dressed 
 on single hooks, two hooks and a 
 double hook, and even with three 
 double hooks ; while fly spinners 
 are also supplied to tempt the 
 angler as well as the fish. If the 
 fisherman is unable to find a fly „, ^„ ,^,^„ 
 
 -^ FLY SPINNER 
 
 that appeals to him, he must, 
 indeed, be exceedingly hard to please. 
 
 Of course, like the philatelist, he can amuse himself 
 by making a pretty collection. 
 
 An old angHng friend of mine was smitten with this 
 craze, and he was ever adding to his hoard. On wet 
 days he would employ himself happily by gazing at the 
 gaudy dressings and fingering them. He rarely visited 
 the river as he was past the age for fishing activities, and 
 I firmly believe that he had reached a stage when he 
 would have regretted wetting a feather. Whenever he 
 was asked if he missed very much the thrills of the 
 winding waterway, he would look up smihngly and 
 intimate that in his day he had made the most of his 
 golden opportunities, then add cryptically, " As they 
 say in some parts of the country, you can't have two 
 forenoons in one day.'' However, he enjoyed, in the 
 dry, many hours with his gay specimens, and he was 
 always dehghted to recollect that with this pattern he 
 
42 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 caught a six-pounder, or with that an eight pounder ; 
 such is the fascination of anghng. 
 
 Metal minnows, in an almost endless variety, are made 
 for the anglers' benefit. Devon minnows, slotted and 
 slotless, with left or right-hand spin, are supplied 
 in gilt or silver, green or blue, brown or spotted 
 and in sizes upwards from an inch in length. Some 
 shanks are round, others have flat sides and several 
 are fluted. These are furnished with one, two or four 
 trebles. 
 
 The metal minnow is a delusive instrument if it is not 
 built properly, and here, I suggest, the crux of the 
 spinning situation is encountered. No doubt you have 
 seen the natural minnow, on your approach, dart from 
 the bank-side. Probably you have watched these little 
 rascals saiUng idly through the water. But I ask you 
 at once, have you seen one swimming obliquely up- 
 stream ? Of course not, for they cruise on an even keel. 
 They may rise quickly in a slanting position to the 
 surface, but their normal movement is in a horizontal 
 plane. What, then, do you think of the action of a 
 spun metal minnow that, as you wind your reel, comes 
 all the way towards you with its head up and its tail 
 down ? 
 
 If you have never given consideration to this enter- 
 taining problem, take my advice and scrutinize carefully 
 the movements of your minnow when you next go 
 spinning. I am satisfied that the difference between a 
 fisherman's failure and success can, in many instances, 
 be traced to the swim of tlie minnow. If anglers, when 
 spinning, paid greater attention to this important detail, 
 I am sure that the time so spent would bring its own 
 reward. Unfortunately for them, many anglers mount 
 metal minnows, cast and retrieve, hoping for the best, 
 without giving a second's thought to the elementary 
 
OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS 
 
 43 
 
 rule of the need of providing lifelike displays by their 
 artificials. A fish is not a ninny, and no self-respecting 
 sea-trout is likely to fall to an obvious impostor. 
 
 The fault with numerous metal minnows is that the 
 wings are fixed too far forward, with the consequence the 
 
 MINNOW 
 
 Wings too far forward 
 
 MINNOW 
 
 Wings in right position 
 
 balance is upset, and the tail droops. Therefore my 
 suggestion is select, or have made, minnows with the 
 wings mounted well back on the shank. If this desi- 
 deratum is attained the minnow will swim in a level 
 position, and its natural poise and progression cannot 
 fail to attract any fish in its vicinity. 
 
 For all my spinning I adhere to one size of metal 
 minnow and that is a length of if inches. This may 
 sound a wee bit conservative, but the shanks are specially 
 made for me to my own specifications and, by constant 
 use, I have become so accustomed to their weight and 
 flight that to throw the lure is now merely a mechanical 
 
44 
 
 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 motion. Habit is very remarkable and somehow, after 
 years of casting, I expect the minnow to drop at a certain 
 distance and travel a definite number of yards before the 
 famiUar thud of a taking fish is felt. I work in accord- 
 ance with this schedule each time when I start operations 
 in a favourite stretch of water, but should my efforts be 
 unavaiHng within a brief spell, I adopt other tactics and 
 continue with various experiments until fate is kind. 
 
 My many friends who fish the river of my choice are 
 just as methodical in their line of approach and on the 
 conclusion of our trips we revel in comparing notes. 
 By this mutual exchange of ideas we are ever learning 
 more about the secrets of our particular length of river, 
 and, undoubtedly, every reach of water repays the angler 
 for an intensive study. 
 
 Metal spoon baits, in scores of patterns, may be re- 
 garded as being sure enticements to the sea-trout, while 
 all manner of patent spinners can be 
 obtained at the more important tackle 
 shops. The sea-trout angler has thus no 
 grounds for complaining that his wants 
 are not truly and fully met. 
 
 Years ago the '' Colorado '' spoon brought 
 to me a fair amount of success, but I 
 switched over to the minnow which I prefer 
 and which never seems to disappoint me. 
 However, every man must follow his special 
 taste, and some men are more partial to a 
 spoon bait than to a minnow. 
 
 Notwithstanding that the main articles 
 have received attention, there are several 
 oddments which occur to me as being worthy 
 of notice. These, although they are not 
 really essential to tbe sea-trout angler, may 
 be placed in the category of highly desirable trifles. 
 
 COLORADO 
 
 SPOON 
 
OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS 45 
 
 or aids to more efficient labour. Some certainly will 
 appeal to the careful man, whilst others may be noted 
 for future consideration. 
 
 Reel bags, so often ignored by fishermen, are something 
 more than a fussy man's fad : they are covers for pieces 
 of delicate mechanism. When you realize that some 
 fixed spool reels are composed of thirty or more parts, 
 ranging from tiny screws and washers to the eccentric 
 bearing, you will appreciate the need for safeguarding 
 the reel from dust and grit. However heedful you may 
 be, a fishing bag has a knack of collecting bits of dirt ; 
 and to drop an unprotected reel into a general hold-all 
 is simply asking for ultimate trouble. Strong waterproof 
 reel bags can be purchased for about three shillings each, 
 and they are well worth that small sum. As an alter- 
 native, I have known men who have used discarded socks 
 for the purpose of shielding their reels against dust and 
 danger. Anything is better than to allow a valuable 
 reel to be exposed to the risk of insidious damage. 
 
 Another asset is a stout rubber band placed round the 
 butt of the rod. Before assembUng the rod and reel, 
 slip the band over the butt above the reel fitting. If the 
 band is too slack, merely give it a twist and let it make a 
 double turn round the rod. This will provide an ideal 
 means of holding a metal spinner or even a large fly. 
 The fly rings mounted by the makers on many rods are 
 not large enough to take the barb of a big hook. When 
 passing from pool to pool, or climbing over fences, a 
 dangling treble or a drifting fly can entail inconveniences 
 and irritations. Consequently, this simple rubber con- 
 trivance will prove of much benefit. Further, if at the 
 end of your day's trip, you do not wish to strip your 
 gear, you will find the rubber wrapping a perfect 
 method for confining the lure in readiness for the morrow's 
 expedition. 
 
46 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 A small file is not always included by the angler in his 
 equipment, yet this tool is invaluable at times. A treble 
 frequently fouls boulders and stones, with the result 
 that the points are either blunted or shghtly turned. 
 The hook of a fly also occasionally meets with a similar 
 fate. A few Ught rubs with the file will quickly remedy 
 these defects. 
 
 Before making the first cast, a wise precaution is to 
 satisfy yourself that the hooks are true, as when you 
 tighten in a fish, you want to be sure that the hook goes 
 well home. If the hook is badly turned or the point is 
 weak, you should have no hesitation in scrapping it 
 immediately, for to use a doubtful hook is poor and 
 foohsh economy. 
 
 Be foresighted and carry a tin of " Lineflote '' in your 
 fishing bag, as, if you visit outlandish places, you may be 
 unable to obtain a tin at the time that you require one. 
 Although waterproofed lines do not need dressing, the 
 appUcation periodically of a little '' Lineflote " or similar 
 preparation, will cause the line to be more buoyant. 
 When using the " Lineflote " the best way is to hang 
 the line between two posts and then, with a small 
 piece of rag, work the mixture, yard by yard, into 
 the hne. The object of suspending the line is to 
 avoid picking up particles of dirt by letting the line fall 
 on the ground. 
 
 In my fishing bag can always be found a small coil of 
 string, and that provision for times of emergency has 
 saved me many unpleasant experiences. In addition to 
 the repair of accidental breakages too numerous to men- 
 tion in detail, that string has come to my assistance 
 when, with a back cast, my fly has lodged in an overhead 
 branch. If all other attempts have been abortive, I 
 have obtained a suitable stone and, with the string 
 attached, have tossed the missile over the offending 
 
OTHER TACKLE, FLIES AND MINNOWS 47 
 
 branch. Then, with a steady pull on both ends of the 
 string, I have drawn the spreading twigs within reach of 
 my hand and have thus been able to recover my fly. 
 
 A length of stout cord or binder twine is another useful 
 item. If you should be sufficiently fortimate to land a 
 really big fish, an easy way to carry it is to tie the cord 
 round the root of the tail, pass the cord through the gill 
 and mouth, and bring the cord back to the loop round the 
 tail. You can thus carry the fish by means of the cord, 
 in tlie same manner as you would carry a bag. This is 
 the way we usually deal with a salmon. 
 
 Whatever else you omit from your collection of gear, 
 do not go fishing without your penknife or a small pair of 
 scissors, otherwise you will be in want of a necessary 
 implement immediately on reaching the water, for the 
 vagaries of an angUng trip are usually unexpected. 
 
 Finally, if your journeys to the river have to be made 
 by rail, give serious thought to the purchase of a rod case, 
 as the luggage rack is not adequate for an unprotected 
 rod. You may be cautious, and you may take every 
 precaution, but, notwithstanding your studied care, the 
 chances are that somebody will hurriedly push a heavy 
 bag against the rod tip, and, though the culprit will say 
 " Sorry," your expedition will be spoilt. Rod cases, 
 such as aluminium tubes, are made in appropriate 
 lengths for single rods, while, if you desire to take several 
 rods, wooden boxes are constructed to hold rods in 
 quantity and of various lengths. Although these boxes 
 are a trifle cumbersome, you will prefer an encumbrance 
 to a broken rod. 
 
 The sum total of an angler's sea-trout requirements is 
 not very alarming, and the wise man can generally reduce 
 his outfit to a limit which will give to him complete 
 satisfaction. 
 
48 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 OTHER MEANS OF CATCHING SEA-TROUT 
 
 FROM the foregoing chapters you may imagine that 
 sea-trout can be caught only by mounting an 
 artificial fly or by spinning a metal minnow, but that is 
 not the case as the sea-trout, Uke most fish, will fall a 
 prey to other devices. 
 
 To renew my many associations with sea-trout angUng, 
 and to bring my experiences up to date, I have, for 
 several months, been staying within a hundred yards of a 
 noted salmon and sea-trout water which, from time to 
 time, for a score of years has afforded to me innumerable 
 thriUs. 
 
 Before commencing this chapter, I strolled down 
 to see an old anghng friend, whose house is situated 
 on the river-bank, and who owns the fishing rights 
 for several miles on this river. After an entertaining 
 pow-wow on sea-trout in general, and on those fish in 
 particular which come through his waters, I quietly 
 put the innocuous question to him, *' Besides fly fishing 
 and spinning, are there other means of catching sea- 
 trout ? '' 
 
 The old gentleman, in a most leisurely fashion, tapped 
 the spent ash from his pipe, refilled his constant com- 
 panion, and, after satisfying himself that the fresh charge 
 was well alight, looked at me fixedly for a few seconds. 
 Suddenly he broke the silence by sajdng, in an un- 
 mistakably determined way, " Yes. Poaching." I 
 might have expected such an answer, as my friend is a 
 whole-hearted *' purist." With fly, and fly only, may the 
 brown trout in his river be caught. He permits of no 
 
OTHER MEANS OF CATCHING SEA-TROUT 49 
 
 other method, and for a fisherman to ask 1dm whether 
 a worm could be used would probably cause the fly 
 exponent to have an apoplectic seizure, so bitter is he 
 towards ** womiists." 
 
 Throughout the length of this river, a person who 
 employs a worm is always described as being a poacher, 
 and is regarded by the local rod-men as being outside 
 the pale of honest anglers. 
 
 However, my duty is not to morahse, but to offer 
 information, whether or not I am in agreement with 
 the means to which resort is made in luring the sea- 
 trout. 
 
 Before describing the different ways of worming, I 
 must warn intending followers of this form of fishing, to 
 read carefully the regulations on their licences, as in 
 some instances the bye-laws are most definite on the 
 subject, and the failure to abide by such may lead to 
 unpleasant consequences. 
 
 As an example I will quote from the bye-laws which 
 refer to one Fishery District. 
 
 '* No person shall use in connection with fishing with 
 rod and line for migratory trout in any waters within 
 the Fishery District any float carrying or supporting any 
 lure or bait." This, without question, puts paid to float 
 tackle with worms. 
 
 '* No prawn, shrimp or worm shall be used in con- 
 nection with fishing with rod and line for migratory trout 
 in any waters within the Fishery District before the 
 first day of May in any year." Here again, is a district 
 ruUng and one which, while allowing the use of a worm, 
 does so only after a certain date. 
 
 Another interesting bye-law for this Fishery District 
 
 reads, *' The period during which it shall be lawful to 
 
 use a gaff in connection with fishing by a rod and fine 
 
 for migratory trout shall be the period between the 
 
 D 
 
50 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 thirtieth day of April and the first day of September 
 following." 
 
 As some anglers cannot understand this injunction, I 
 may state that its object is to prevent the destruction of 
 kelts which may stay in the river and perhaps mend 
 prior to the 30th April, also to avoid killing, after the 
 1st September, salmon ready to spawn : those red cock 
 fish with their elongated beaks, and the hen fish no 
 longer silvery but unpicturesque with their dark backs 
 and leaden hued belUes. 
 
 Having cleared the air regarding the possibilities of 
 worm fishing, we will consider the tackle required for 
 this manner of catching the sea-trout. 
 
 The ordinary fly rod, reel and line may be pressed into 
 service, although I should hesitate to use my fly rod for 
 this purpose, as the probability is a fat eel will take the 
 bait and tw^ist its tail round a snag or a stone when it 
 notices the pull from the reel. Far better to work with 
 an inexpensive coarse fishing rod built with plenty of 
 power, so that the spoil, be it eel or sea-trout, can be 
 lifted bodily out of the water. Of course, angUng of 
 this character precludes all the niceties of playing and 
 netting the hooked one. There is no need to be finicky 
 about gut and hooks : strength must be the chief quali- 
 fication, as the time for worming is when the water is 
 coloured and thick. A '* gut bottom," as it is described, 
 is good enough. This should be formed of one yard 
 of gut, IX in size, with a hook number 6, 7 or 8. 
 A tin of spUt shots is also necessary. If, in the water 
 of your choice, you are allowed to use a float, any 
 one of the numerous roach or Sheffield patterns is 
 suitable. 
 
 If you have never dabbled in this form of recreation, 
 you will rightly ask if the crafty sea-trout can be won in 
 so prosaic a manner. I can answer that question with 
 
OTHER MEANS OF CATCHING SEA-TROUT 5 1 
 
 an emphatic affirmative and add that, as the worm is 
 the natural food of most fish, the wriggler is a deadly 
 lure for sea-trout. 
 
 An illuminating illustration of the killing properties of 
 this common worm came to my notice recently. 
 
 Entering a river much favoured by sea-trout, is an 
 insignificant brooklet which, in the summer months, is 
 nothing more than a series of muddy pools connected by 
 an almost imperceptible trickle. 
 
 One year, during spring and summer, no measurable 
 rain fell for several months, and the river was at a lower 
 level than had ever been known. Salmon fishers were 
 in despair, and sea-trout anglers gloomily regarded 
 the shrinking waters. The pools in the brooklet evapor- 
 ated and the course was littered with tins and other 
 debris. 
 
 Late September brought with it tropical rain, and 
 consequent heavy floods. The river spread itself over its 
 banks and the brooklet's way was transformed into a 
 dirty torrent. An old man through whose garden the 
 raging stream raced, assembled a shabby rod and some 
 rough tackle. Then, for an hour in the morning, he 
 endeavoured to fish with a lobworm, but the current was 
 too strong. In the evening, however, the fury of the 
 spate subsided and, close to a bend in the bank, a tiny 
 backwater provided an opportunity for keeping a baited 
 hook quiescent on the bed of the stream. The old man 
 was fully alive to this fact, as he was no novice at this 
 game, and in a couple of hours he hiked out eleven brown 
 trout of goodly size and four sea-trout ranging from a 
 pound to two pounds in weight. A stranger to this 
 district would scarcely have thought that sea-trout 
 could be taken from such an inauspicious place, but 
 angling suppHes some queer illusions for those not 
 initiated in all its secrets. 
 
52 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 Should you intend to try your hand when the water is 
 low and clear, finer tackle is more serviceable, and I 
 recommend a *' gut bottom '' with a gauge of 3x, but 
 you will have to be alert and strike quickly, so as to 
 circumvent the nibbles of eels. A sea- trout usually 
 takes the baited hook unhesitatingly and darts away, 
 but an eel starts on the head or the tail of the worm and 
 quietly gorges both worm and hook. 
 
 There are many ways of fishing with worms, and I 
 will deal briefly with a few of them. 
 
 When employing a float, sufficient split shots should 
 be squeezed on the gut, so that the float assumes 
 a perpendicular position : in other words the float 
 cocks. In arranging the split shots, place one about 
 a foot from the hook and add more at intervals of three 
 or six inches until the weight is sufficient to cock the 
 float. 
 
 This float tackle can be used either stationary in a 
 backwater, or by allowing it to drift with a very slow 
 current. In both these cases the worm should clear, by 
 two or three inches, the bed of the river. 
 
 If no float is attached to the gear, less split shots are 
 necessary, and the baited hook should either lie on the 
 bottom of a backwater, or move with a strong and fast 
 current. 
 
 Ledgering and upstream casting are other methods of 
 worming. 
 
 In a similar manner to the use of worms, other natural 
 baits such as a bunch of maggots or wasp grubs may be 
 employed ; while various preserved baits, including 
 prawns, can be purchased. 
 
 Live baiting with a natural minnow finds favour on 
 certain waters, and spinning with a like bait is also 
 practised. 
 
 Thus, what with patent lures, there seems to be no 
 
OTHER MEANS OF CATCHING SEA-TROUT 53 
 
 end to the artifices offered to the angler for the undoing 
 of the sea-trout. 
 
 To those who, after reading these notes on worming, 
 feel tempted to put the methods into operation, I cannot 
 resist saying '* Don't," and to those who are already 
 experts with the worm I make a special appeal to give 
 the artificial fly a prolonged and an exhaustive trial. 
 
 Fly work is easy, clean and sporting. Further, fly 
 fishing is not the privilege of one class of anglers, it is 
 the right of all, and there are no grounds for thinking 
 that it is an expensive hobby. Before war conditions 
 sent all tackle prices soaring to ridiculous heights, a 
 complete equipment of rod, reel, line, casts and flies 
 could be purchased new for a sum under a pound. In 
 fact a beginner's fly fishing outfit at the price of eighteen 
 shillings and twopence is advertised in a catalogue issued 
 in 1940 by one of our leading tackle manufacturers, and 
 that firm, while catering for the slender purse, specializes 
 in goods of the highest grade ; therefore, the outlay of a 
 modest amount did not mean that the articles were 
 " cheap and nasty," as behind the transaction was a 
 guarantee by this firm of repute. Consequently I sin- 
 cerely hope that this statement will be read by the many 
 who regard fly fishing solely in the light of expense. 
 
 Worming is not always considered to be de jure, even 
 by its followers who sometimes practise it surreptitiously. 
 No doubt, the expressed opinions of these anglers would 
 be very definite, but the opinions impKed by their actions 
 is more convincing. 
 
 One day, two fishermen arrived at an inn where I was 
 staying and they impressed me with their ability to slay 
 sea-trout. They produced for my benefit a lovely col- 
 lection of flies and spinners, and recounted tales of their 
 huge successes in distant waters. As, up to then, my 
 trip had not rewarded me with much sport, I anticipated 
 
54 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 with pleasure the reports that would be forthcoming 
 from these two experts after they had wetted their lines 
 in the contiguous river. They spent that afternoon in 
 assembhng their gear and mounting flies in readiness for 
 the evening's expedition. After tea they started for the 
 fray and they were faultlessly equipped with gear and 
 waders. I was standing outside the inn at the time, 
 and naturally I wished them the best of luck. One 
 angler had proceeded about a dozen yards, while his 
 companion had stopped to adjust his net. Suddenly, 
 the foremost one halted, turned round and called out, 
 " Have you got the worms ? '' The one with the unruly 
 net glared at his questioner, saw the uncontrollable smile 
 on my face, burst out laughing and exclaimed to his 
 friend, " You ruddy idiot. You bawl out, so that all 
 the ruddy village can hear, have I got the ruddy worms. 
 Oh, you." The joke and its sequel were so spontaneous, 
 that the three of us laughed heartily without restraint. 
 
 However, when the two returned from an evening's 
 hard toil, neither had touched a fish, but I did not inquire 
 whether the flies had failed as well as the worms. 
 
 Yet one more amusing tilt at another wormer's subter- 
 fuge. At a well-known resort, frequented by numerous 
 sea-trout anglers, arrived two friends, strangers to me, 
 eager for conquest. As I was intent on night fishing at 
 the time, my offices were sought by the couple. My 
 experience was unreservedly placed at their disposal, 
 and I displayed the flies which had already assisted 
 me in collecting a few fish. The three of us mounted 
 identical flies and we set forth gleefully when the sun 
 had finished a September day's duty. 
 
 Upon reaching the water I explained the layout of my 
 favourite pool. Without any ado one of the pair elected 
 to remain near me, while the other said that he preferred 
 the lower end of the reach. The night was cloudless, 
 
OTHER MEANS OF CATCHING SEA-TROUT 55 
 
 and the full glory of the stars gave enough Ught to enable 
 us to see the river plainly and the dark bushes bordering 
 the far bank. As no breeze played upon the trees and 
 undergrowth, the silence was intense, for even the river 
 flowed quietly. So subdued was the atmosphere we could 
 almost hear the grass grow. Ever and anon, a flitting 
 bat collided with my extended line, causing me to make 
 a momentary strike in expectation of a feeding sea- trout. 
 Meanwhile, from the tail section of the pool came repeated 
 sounds of slight plops and reel windings. At last, wonder- 
 ing what was the meaning of these signs of action, I 
 remarked to my nearby companion, " Your friend appears 
 to be doing some business." A laugh greeted my com- 
 ment, and then came the reply, " Yes. He is throwing a 
 worm. He does not believe in a fly." Thus was another 
 alleged sportsman and illicit wormer unmasked. 
 
 However, if you must worm, be true to yourself and 
 to your confreres by playing a straight bat. These 
 peccadillos which I have described lead nowhere and they 
 do not hoodwink your fellows who will undoubtedly think 
 better of you if you have the courage of your convictions. 
 
 The worst example of duplicity to come to my know- 
 ledge occurred several years back. A small party, stay- 
 ing at a country house for the purpose of participating in 
 the joys of sea-trout fishing in private waters, included 
 one member who kept himself somewhat aloof from the 
 other anglers, and when arrangements were made for a 
 day's visit to a distant length, the detached one worked 
 in the home waters ; while if the consensus of views 
 was in favour of a trial in the immediate stretch, the only 
 objector departed for a lonely jaunt far upstream. 
 
 Strange as it may seem, this peculiar person was always 
 decrying the use of worms, although the other rodsters 
 were not interested in the irrelevant subject. 
 
 One morning, having to deal with some pressing corre- 
 
56 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 spondence, I was unable to accompany those who were 
 bound for a place two or three miles away up the river. 
 
 When lunch was finished I decided to have a look at 
 the state of the home waters, as during the preceding 
 night a considerable amount of rain had fallen. 
 
 Passing round a bend which is obscured by a thick 
 spinney, I came unexpectedly near our unsociable associ- 
 ate. I stopped, looked and continued my walk. With 
 a float he was swimming a worm. 
 
 On the following day this gentleman decided that 
 business required his return at once, so from my ken 
 disappeared another wormer, leaving behind him, in my 
 estimation, a not altogether creditable reputation. 
 
 You will now probably appreciate that my suggestion 
 to play a straight bat is founded on something more than 
 mere opinion, and I may add that whilst I am a keen 
 supporter of clean rivers, I am equally in favour of 
 clean sport. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 HAUNTS OF THE SEA-TROUT 
 
 IF we but knew where to find the sea-trout, to persuade 
 them to be caught would be an easy task. The 
 difiiculty which presents itself to the angler who wishes 
 to make contact with these elusive fish is the lack of 
 information concerning the actual whereabouts of the 
 quarry. These fish are here to-day and gone to-morrow. 
 Thus the anxious man with the rod can make only a 
 shrewd guess regarding the latest movements of the 
 sea-trout. 
 
HAUNTS OF THE SEA-TROUT 57 
 
 The greatest asset that any angler can possess is a 
 thorough knowledge of his river. He should be acquainted 
 with the various pools, the many stickles, the customary 
 depth of the water and last, though not least, the manner 
 in which the river rises as the result of heavy rain. From 
 these data he can form a fairly reliable opinion as to the 
 probable resting-places of the fish. 
 
 For example, if the summer level of a river, excluding 
 from our calculations deep pools and shallow runs, registers 
 two feet, we know that the sea-trout, providing that they 
 have left the estuary, will be hiding in the pools. Sup- 
 posing that sufficient rain falls to cause the level to reach 
 two feet six inches, we may be sure that the fish will 
 travel farther up the river, and, unless more fish leave 
 the estuary, the pools that held sea-trout before the 
 arrival of the spate will be without fish afterwards. In 
 fact, during a freshet, it is not unsual at night-time to 
 hear the sea-trout splashing up the stickles. 
 
 A river running, say, thirty miles from its source to 
 the sea, will hold a certain head of fish, but those fish 
 will not be evenly distributed throughout the length of 
 the v^ ater, as sea-trout are ever on the move upstream 
 if the conditions suit them. 
 
 The angler who lives near the river has every aid at 
 his service, for not only is he cognisant of the peculi- 
 arities of the river, but he can work intelligently in 
 accordance with rainfalls, together with first-hand details 
 regarding the rise and fall of the water. The stranger, 
 however, is at a big disadvantage, and he must rely on 
 tlie help and advice of the " locals." 
 
 But there are a few generalities with which every 
 visiting angler should be acquainted, and if he acts upon 
 these he should not return with an empty creel. I will 
 therefore mention them for the benefit of the novice. 
 
 The shoal sea-trout usually take shelter in deep water, 
 
58 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 and in day-time they keep under bushes which spread 
 far out from the bank. 
 
 The big fish remain in the deep pools, and in dayhght 
 they should be sought near the head of those pools. 
 At night-time, however, the place to expect them is at 
 the tail of tJie pools. 
 
 Of course, these are not rigid rules : they are merely 
 quoted to serve as a rough guide. I generally start 
 operations in conformity with these ideas, but if they 
 fail to achieve their purpose I relinquish them and adopt 
 other guiles. 
 
 Perhaps the best testimony in support of the notion 
 that the big fish frequent the tail of the pool when dark- 
 ness falls is the practice adopted by poachers. These 
 knowledgeable nomads ford a pool, dragging a trammel 
 after them. When the net extends from bank to bank, 
 with the corks floating and the leads resting on the 
 bed of the river, the other members of the gang work 
 up from the tail of the pool, casting stones into the 
 water as they go. The fish are thus frightened and 
 driven into the net. You can always learn a lesson or 
 two from the unwritten laws of the poacher's code, which 
 are always based on personal and persistent observa- 
 tions. 
 
 Although sea-trout are ever journeying upstream and 
 leaving excellent reaches to the sole enjoyment of the 
 brown trout, there are many pools wherein the large sea- 
 trout seem satisfied to stay for lengthy periods. These 
 pools are, in most cases, very deep and are bounded by a 
 bank completely obscured by trees and thick under- 
 growth. In some instances both banks are thus wooded. 
 The fish apparently know that they are safe in these 
 shaded depths, as, if both banks are protected by natural 
 barriers, the sea-trout are never molested by fishermen, 
 while if one bank gives accommodation to a mass of 
 
HAUNTS OF THE SEA-TROUT 59 
 
 trees, the branches are usually so extensive that to throw 
 a fly is scarcely practicable. 
 
 I am acquainted with a pool of the latter character, 
 and there is only one spot where a fly can be cast satis- 
 factorily in a length of some hundred yards, and that is 
 where an opening of a couple of yards across the water 
 is due to a branch having been lopped. Throughout the 
 season you can at night hear the hefty plops of specimen 
 fish turning over in this pool, and at the place which I 
 have indicated many a redoubtable beauty has been 
 played to the net. From my experience I am prepared 
 to guarantee that on every night, when the conditions 
 are propitious, the chance of hooking a fish there is real. 
 
 Notwithstanding that an appreciable proportion of sea- 
 trout escape capture and live to return to the estuary, 
 numbers find their way up small tribuatries and tiny 
 branch streams, there to meet destruction at the hands of 
 poachers. 
 
 After a spate in the spawning season I have heard of 
 a pool, barely twelve feet square, at the head of a side 
 stream, being Kterally packed with both salmon and sea- 
 trout. The '* locals," at such times, enjoy a remunerative 
 harvest by " snatching " these fish. The modus operandi 
 for this game is to cast across the pool to the far side a 
 a metal spinner furnished with several trebles, allow the 
 contraption to sink and then reel it in slowly. The fish 
 are so congested that the failure to foul-hook one is 
 nearly an impossibility. 
 
 In spite of the diligence of the fish-keepers, this illegal 
 business proceeds merrily, as for the spoil there is always 
 a market, be it only a black one, and the big sea-trout 
 are sold as salmon to unsuspecting customers. 
 
 True, there is nothing new under the sun, and I re- 
 member, in the days of my boyhood, the wholesale attacks 
 that were made on shoals of grey mullet which took up 
 
60 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 their station near the mouth of a narrow estuary. These 
 fish, in their hundreds, would cruise up and down in a 
 length of water not exceeding a furlong. Such close 
 company did they keep that they could, in racing parlance, 
 be accused of bumping and boring. They could be divided 
 roughly into two classes — the school variety which kept 
 to the middle course, and the bigger fish, of from two to 
 three pounds in weight, which manoeuvred between their 
 younger kind and the banks. 
 
 Anglers in those far-off days were wont to try their 
 skill, but the fish were not very responsive, and the 
 capture in large quantities of these esteemed grey mullet 
 was left to the " snatchers.'' The gear of these men was 
 formed of a long length of strong cord to which was 
 lashed at right-angles a stout piece of wood. From this 
 wooden crosspiece were suspended many wires of different 
 lengths, each carrying a big fish-hook. 
 
 Taking one end of the cord with him, one man would 
 cross the estuary to the far bank by means of a bridge, 
 leaving the other end of the cord with his confederate 
 on the near bank. When the two accomplices were ready 
 they would take turns in puUing the wooden contrivance 
 across the water, and each haul was accounted to be 
 poor if only one fish was foul-hooked. 
 
 Man's ingenuity for catching fish by fair means or 
 foul seems to be unHmited, but I most assuredly do not 
 advocate " snatching," either by a specially-constructed 
 device or by a metal minnow and its deadly trebles. 
 
 When the river is deep, in consequence of a spate, 
 sea-trout run quickly, but a noteworthy feature about 
 these fish is that when they are travelling hard through 
 fast-flowing dirty water they will take a spinning metal 
 minnow. A salmon, however, cannot be bothered in 
 such circumstances. 
 
 In endeavouring to place before you a true picture of 
 
HAUNTS OF THE SEA-TROUT 6l 
 
 the haunts of the sea-trout, I must qualify my remarks 
 by stating that I have dealt, in general terms, with a 
 river as a whole. Obviously, if you divided the river 
 into a dozen sections, the description which applies on 
 one day to number one section, would not necessarily be 
 appUcable to the other sections on the same day. Similarly, 
 if you selected any other section and my comments held 
 good for that particular one, you must not assume that 
 identical conditions prevail elsewhere, as the results of 
 sea-trout angUng depend firstly on the state of the water 
 and secondly on the manner in which the fish are moving. 
 As I have already stated, the fish are here to-day and 
 gone to-morrow, and I cannot stress that fact too much. 
 
 Another important point to be borne in mind is that 
 while salmon require an ample flush of water to make 
 them come in from the sea, old sea-trout can always be 
 rehed upon to make vaUant efforts to struggle upstream 
 through the shallow water. Thus there is ever present 
 a possibility, even in bad seasons, of connecting with a 
 fish of decent proportions ; so do not despair if the 
 fruits of your first venture's labours are not as you would 
 wish, but persevere in likely places and then, if unre- 
 warded, try other spots. 
 
 Without doubt salmon seasons fluctuate considerably, 
 but the variations in the running of sea-trout are not so 
 impressive, as, in the summers which are deficient in rain, 
 there is enough water for a fair number of sea-trout to 
 come through, even if they are checked here and there. 
 At the time of severe drought the upper reaches naturally 
 suffer the most from a paucity of fish. 
 
 If you gaze in the water as you saunter along the 
 river-bank you will see plenty of brown trout darting 
 away as you near their haunts. You will also espy a 
 salmon that has not been alarmed at your approach, 
 but you will have to be very wary to light upon a resting 
 
62 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 sea-trout, as these fish are easily scared; in fact they seem 
 to be endowed with an eerie faculty for scenting impend- 
 ing danger, and before you have an opportunity of sighting 
 them properly they have bolted into water dark and 
 secretive. 
 
 How crafty, therefore, must you be in your Hne of 
 access. A pool may contain several sea-trout, but if 
 you do not watch your steps you may as well cast on a 
 meadow as into the water, for the fish have no desire 
 to offer favours to you. I am convinced that sea-trout 
 are more easily frightened than any other fish in our 
 rivers. Unfortunately, numerous anglers fail utterly to 
 recognize the need for caution and go blundering to the 
 water's edge. Worse than that, many wade like bullocks 
 in the water. 
 
 You should try to obliterate yourself on the river-bank, 
 whatever species of fish you are stalking, but with sea- 
 trout your attempts to screen yourself must be re- 
 doubled, and even then the odds are ten to one against 
 you. 
 
 When, in day-time, I intend to throw a fly over a 
 pool which I am satisfied holds a sea-trout or two, my 
 movements are most guarded, and when nearing the 
 water I take advantage of every scrap of cover. Some- 
 times, so as to avoid causing any disturbance amongst 
 the fish, I crouch on my way and make sure that my rod 
 is not raised above a horizontal position behind me. 
 Yet, after exercising all this care, my plans are often 
 frustrated by the wading angler who journeys up the 
 river as if he were otter hunting. 
 
 One day a visiting fisherman remarked to me that I 
 acted by the river as though I were afraid of being 
 seen. I agreed with him, and added for his edification 
 that I was decidedly afraid of being seen by the fish. 
 
 I rent a rod on an excellent sea-trout river which in 
 
HAUNTS OF THE SEA-TROUT 63 
 
 the past has yielded hundreds of fish yearly. In one 
 pool alone a friend of mine has accounted for as many 
 as 160 sea-trout in one season, and the best of these weighed 
 ten pounds and five ounces, but on this water, during 
 the war years, sea-trout fishing has been completely spoilt. 
 There is still a splendid run of fish every season, but to 
 try for them is nigh hopeless, as day after day ten or a 
 dozen hoUday anglers go marching up and down the 
 watercourse as though on patrol. 
 
 I do not mind how many fish are brought to hand, for 
 that has Httle or no effect on the sport, but I do resent 
 fish being put down by this senseless wading. The river 
 in question averages no more than fifteen yards in width, 
 and any ordinary rodster should have no difiiculty in 
 covering the water from either bank. 
 
 What the object is of this wading is a mystery to me. 
 Certainly it cannot be for the purpose of catching fish, 
 and I can but assume that the idea is simjply to dress 
 the part, 
 
 I have watched scores of visiting anglers, some of 
 whom have spent a whole day tramping about in the 
 water, but I have yet to see one hook a sea-trout. A 
 member of this irresponsible crowd worked his way up 
 half a mile of water in about a quarter of an hour late 
 one evening, and when he reached me he shouted to me, 
 '' Where are the fish ? " Although I had a brace of 
 nice sea-trout in my bag, I was too disgusted with his 
 stupid action to say other than '* I don't know." 
 
 On talking over the subject recently with a few local 
 fishers, one expressed his opinion that this wading business 
 is the outcome of crass ignorance. I may add that, of 
 the many local anglers, men who catch sea-trout, not one 
 wades, and each is a firm behever in the poUcy of keeping 
 well back from the edge of the bank. 
 
 During fine weather we are content to wear studded 
 
64 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 shoes, but if the grass is wet owing to rain or heavy 
 dew, a pair of rubber boots or Welhngtons is adequate. 
 
 I fish another sea-trout river of about twice the width 
 of the one to which I have just made reference, and 
 wading in this water in strictly prohibited, much to the 
 satisfaction of every angler who uses it. There visitors are 
 few, and rods are limited to a specific number each day. 
 Consequently the sport is admirable, and veryone enjoys 
 a fair share of the spoils. 
 
 In conclusion let me add emphatically that to know 
 the haunts of the sea-trout is of no avail, unless approach 
 is made to these desirable spots in a circumspect manner. 
 Further, if an angler has no respect for his own chances, 
 he should remember that, anyhow on strange waters, 
 consideration for other anglers is perhaps more important 
 than his personal pleasure. 
 
 If visiting fishermen were somewhat more thoughtful 
 concerning local interests, I am of opinion that un- 
 attached angUng enthusiasts would not be regarded with 
 so much disfavour as that which several have earned in 
 some districts. 
 
 With much regret I am forced to state that during 
 late years I have noticed many thrusters on the river- 
 bank. There was a time when an angler fishing a pool 
 would be left in undisputed possession, and an approach- 
 ing angler would discreetly make a detour to the next 
 pool so as to avoid disturbing his colleague. That 
 recognized procedure was and is adopted by aU sports- 
 men. On several recent occasions, however, I have seen 
 a second rod who has had the audacity to start operations 
 in a river pool already being worked by another fly- 
 man. This lack of ordinary courtesy is appalling, and is 
 comparable with an incident which occurred in my 
 presence a few weeks ago. 
 
 I was returning from a fishing holiday and at the 
 
DAY FISHING WITH FLY 65 
 
 railway station of departure was a big throng of in- 
 tending passengers. When the train was made up and 
 backed into the station, the crowd was fairly distributed 
 along the platform. Tn front of me were three ladies 
 and a gentleman forming one party. The quartette had 
 a large quantity of hand baggage, together with coats, 
 stacked beside them. The gentleman entered a com- 
 partment, and, taking the baggage handed to him, com- 
 pletely filled both luggage racks. The ladies then joined 
 their companion and the comer seats were quickly occu- 
 pied. When the other passengers, including myself, 
 entered the compartment, there was not an inch of avail- 
 able space on the racks, and the selfish four assumed 
 vacajit expressions whilst the last entrants, to the number 
 of six, endeavoured to balance their belongings on their 
 knees. 
 
 As we journeyed mile after mile in needless discomfort, 
 I could not help thinking that if this present-day doctrine 
 of " what's yours is mine and what's mine is my own " 
 enters the realms of sport, angling will be a very poor 
 business, and we can say a sad '* good-bye " to all the 
 old esprit de corps. 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 DAY FISHING WITH FLY 
 
 AN opinion which is held by a number of anglers is 
 that sea-trout cannot be caught during dayHght 
 hours. This view is altogether too sweeping in its sug- 
 gestiveness to be accepted seriously, as there are so many 
 pros and cons to be taken into account. In the first 
 E 
 
66 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 place the all important state of the river must be con- 
 sidered. Then attention has to be paid to the kind of 
 Im'e which will prove most suitable. 
 
 In a general way I am prepared to agree that sea- 
 trout do not come into the picture to the same extent as 
 do brown trout. Perhaps the cause for the difference 
 is due to the fact that sea-trout are so easily frightened. 
 Again, in some waters sea-trout figure markedly in 
 returns for day-time anghng, while for other rivers the 
 records for the same hours are poor. 
 
 If a river is well bushed and is not over fished, I see no 
 reason why sea-trout should not be taken by the astute 
 angler when the sun is up. If, however, the river is 
 open, there is not sufficient cover for the fish and the 
 sea-trout are consequently more shy, especially if that 
 water is fished other than rarely. 
 
 With a river low and clear, the difficulties of the angler 
 are accentuated, and he will have to employ all his wiles 
 to fill his bag. Even in having to contend with those 
 adverse conditions, there is ample justification for him 
 to anticipate a fair measure of success, providing that 
 the sea-trout have arrived in the reach where he is fishing. 
 
 A safe guide to be followed is to work with a fly when 
 the river is at or below summer level, and to postpone 
 the use of a metal minnow until such time as when 
 heavy rain brings a rush of coloured water ; but the 
 results obtained with a fly cannot be expected to be so 
 good as those achieved when a minnow is employed, 
 as everything is in the fisher's favour when the time 
 is opportune for mounting the metal device. 
 
 There are divers ways of exploiting a fly. A simple 
 method for the angler who specializes in the dry fly for 
 brown trout, is for him to proceed in a similar manner 
 for sea-trout, but the fly used should be somewhat larger 
 than the ordinary brown trout pattern. If you are 
 
DAY FISHING WITH FLY 67 
 
 accustomed to mount a number 13 for brown trout, try 
 a number 10 for sea-trout. For this class of fishing I 
 usually rely on a Rusty Brown or a March Brown. 
 
 For all my fly angling I use hackled flies, as I am 
 confident that they are better than the winged type, but, 
 of course, this is purely a matter of taste. 
 
 For wet fly work I never depart from our old friend, 
 the Dusty Miller, as first choice when the water is ex- 
 ceptionally low, although Jock Scott and Silver Doctor 
 are in the placings if my favourite is rejected. In 
 selecting flies for day duty a wise point to remember is 
 that sea-trout seem to prefer pretty colours. A bit of 
 gold or silver twist will often cause the wily old fish to 
 slip from its path of rectitude. 
 
 A noteworthy example of the sea-trout's partiahty for 
 bright colours came to my notice a couple of seasons 
 ago. One very hot morning in August, I had been 
 trying ineffectually to coax a sea-trout to forget itself. 
 The sun's rays were scorching and fishing seemed more 
 than a pastime. On the far bank was a cluster of trees 
 which cast a seductive shade on the closely cropped 
 grass, and I decided to exchange warm work for refreshing 
 leisure. 
 
 As I crossed a road bridge I could not resist the tempta- 
 tion to examine the water, and, when my eyes became 
 accustomed to the rippUng flow, I espied half a dozen 
 sea-trout sheltering in deep water beneath a tangle of 
 overhanging bushes. Immediately all feeUngs of fatigue 
 deserted me and, selecting a well concealed position on 
 the bank, my fly was sent on its mission. Again and 
 again I cast without reply, and a change of flies was 
 unproductive. 
 
 Thinking that probably I had sent the sea-trout scut- 
 ling upstream in consequence of my repeated throws, I 
 returned to the bridge for the purpose of observations 
 
68 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 and my astonishment was great when I saw that the 
 impeccable ones had not moved. 
 
 I was in a quandary, as my vauntful lures had been 
 despised. Making myself comfortable in the shade of 
 the trees, I looked in the pockets of my fly-book to see 
 whether there was anything which would arouse the 
 curiosity of these disobUging fish, but my search was 
 unsatisfactory to me. Then I chanced upon an envelope 
 containing some flies which I use for pollack when fishing 
 from the rocks : gaudy, clumsy dressings that are fit for 
 only stupid fish. However, I decided to mount one, 
 consoUng myself with the thought that, at the worst, 
 I could but put the fish down and that was more than I 
 had achieved with flies of repute. 
 
 Occupying the same stance as previously, I put my 
 wretched counterfeit well under the far bushes, and, 
 almost before I had time to straighten my line, a sudden 
 thud told its own tale. Within a quarter of an hour, 
 three sea-trout were on the bank, but that was the finish 
 as evidently the turmoil of the hooked ones had sent the 
 remainder of their kin to safety. 
 
 A cycUst, who from the bridge had been watching me, 
 intimated excitedly to me that that was the first time he 
 had seen three sea-trout caught in so short a time, and 
 that he was content if he brought a brace to his net in a 
 day. 
 
 As an item of interest I will describe the dressing of 
 the fly which did the damage. Two tail feathers from a 
 fowl are employed, one white and the other dyed red. 
 These are sufficient to dress dozens of flies. The eyed 
 hook used is number 6 Redditch scale, or number 9 
 Pennell or '' New " scale. Along the upper side of 
 the shank are placed a few fibres of the white feather, 
 and along the lower side is placed a somewhat smaller 
 quantity of red fibres. A piece of yellow worsted is next 
 
DAY FISHING WITH FLY 69 
 
 put along the shank, between the white and red fibres. 
 Round the partly dressed shank a whipping of silver 
 tinsel thread and red silk is applied. The white feather 
 extends for about an inch and a half beyond the whipping, 
 while the loose end of the red feather is roughly three 
 quarters of an inch in length. The fibres of the white 
 feather curl upwards and those of the red feather down- 
 wards. The end of the yellow worsted is untwisted and 
 this extends in a straight manner for approximately an 
 inch beyond the whipping. 
 
 POLLACK FLY 
 
 Finally the whipping is finished with some quick drying 
 fixing solution. I use '' flexible collodion " which can 
 be obtained from a chemist for sixpence per ounce : this 
 is war-time price. This '' flexible collodion " soon dries 
 and it forms a thin film. It is absolutely airtight and 
 waterproof. An ounce will last a considerable time, 
 providing that the bottle is kept well corked. A screw 
 top cover is best. In applying the solution the easiest 
 way is to use a small glass rod. 
 
 With the price of rustproof sea hooks at two for a 
 penny, the total cost to me of dressing these flies runs to 
 about a penny each. I know a man who does a big trade 
 in them at fourpence each. This is an enormous differ- 
 ence to three shilUngs apiece which I paid recently for a 
 few standard sea-trout flies. With my cheap variety 
 I have no hesitation in discarding a fly immediately it 
 
70 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 has done its duty in collecting three or four fish, as to 
 mount a new fly is more satisfactory than troubling to 
 file a point and thereby risking a fractured barb. 
 
 This fly can be dressed without difficulty in a minute 
 or two as the size of the materials is large, and there is 
 no need to be fastidious in the work. A vice is not 
 necessary : lithe fingers without other aids can do the 
 deed. 
 
 I should be the first to admit that the eager acceptance 
 of this crudely formed artificial proves nothing, as, when 
 my flies of repute were sent over, the sea-trout may have 
 been snoozing or chewing the cud of contentment, and 
 had I persevered with my specials at the time when I 
 cast the feathered monstrosity, the fish may, with 
 alacrity, have sampled the customary lures, for with fish 
 and fishing you never can tell. Nevertheless, I have 
 given further trials to my pollack fly and it has deceived 
 the sea-trout and surprised me. 
 
 To see how this fly acts in the water, I reeled it slowly 
 against the current and I was impressed with its nimble- 
 ness. It darted to the right and then to the left with 
 every quarter turn of the reel, and it came towards me 
 like a fluttering chip off a rainbow : so probably its 
 sparkling liveliness is the reason for its defeat of the sea- 
 trout. 
 
 At the commencement of this chapter reference was 
 made to the use of a dry fly. To attain a modicum of 
 reward from this artistic method calls for extra finesse 
 on the part of the angler. No slack work pays in this 
 affair. Some men seem to think that they can clump 
 upstream, throw an abnormally long line and hook a 
 sea-trout, but those fishers are, I think, nurtured on very 
 vain hopes. 
 
 Lengthy casting has its advantages on lakes and on 
 wide open rivers, but on narrow waters I condemn it 
 
DAY FISHING WITH FLY 7I 
 
 outright. Trees and bushes usually preclude long throws 
 upstream from the bank on small rivers ; while, when 
 wading, the angler enters the tail of a pool and im- 
 mediately any sea-trout loitering there dash helter- 
 skelter from that section. In this mad rush they frighten 
 other fish lying farther up the water and this alarm 
 is repeated until the exodus is practically complete. 
 Then, when an unduly long cast is made and the line 
 hits the water, any fish remaining between the line 
 and either bank promptly shoots away or goes to the 
 bottom. 
 
 With other men on the spot, I am a firm believer in a 
 short line for dry fly business on a small river. We 
 " locals " work from the bank, stand well back from the 
 edge, take shelter behind every bit of scrub, and cast 
 under bushes along the near bank. Another benefit 
 accruing from this system is that, when a sea-trout is 
 hooked, the fish is better controlled with a short line 
 than with a long one, as it does not have the same oppor- 
 tunities for going to weed or diving under awkward roots 
 and other snags. 
 
 The employment of a wet fly presents a totally different 
 proposition as in this case the far bank has to be reached 
 and a longer line is necessary. 
 
 For this style of fishing some anglers regard a dropper 
 as being indispensable, others vote for two, while a few 
 are not content with less than three droppers. Should 
 you decide on one dropper, a suitable plaji is to fix it 
 three feet away from the tail fly. If you elect to use 
 more than one dropper, spaces of two feet should separate 
 the respective flies. 
 
 I am satisfied to eliminate droppers from my service, 
 and to rely solely on the tail fly. Sea-trout flies are a 
 trifle heavier than those mounted for brown trout, and I 
 like my single fly to search with a minimum of splash 
 
72 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 under the far bushed bank. Further, if a strong head- 
 wind is blowing, the risk, with flapping droppers, is ever 
 present of throwing a bird's nest. I write rather feehngly 
 on this subject as, on one exposed river which I fish, a 
 blustering half gale from the west always seems to be 
 racing straight across the water into my face. As I rent 
 one bank only, I am unable to put this mischievous 
 wind to a useful purpose. However, I have grown so 
 accustomed to the technique of placing a lonely fly that 
 the thought of selecting a dropper never occurs to me. 
 
 In shooting the wet fly, aim at the far bank and allow 
 the fly to float with the current. The fly, in its travels, 
 should form an arc from the opposite bank to the near 
 one. When fishing similarly for brown trout you retrieve 
 your line, at the end of its journey, by slow motion ; 
 but for sea-trout you need to act differently, and the most 
 killing way is to recover the line by a series of fast jerks. 
 A safe method by which this result can be attained is to 
 point your rod downstream, and then wind the reel in a 
 sequence of one slow revolution to three quick ones. 
 
 The reason for this apparently unorthodox reeling is 
 because a sea-trout is not lethargic in its actions. If a 
 fish is lurking under the near bank and it is in a taking 
 mood, it will mouth a fast moving object without hesi- 
 tation, but it will ignore a fly that is being gently re- 
 trieved. I may add that I have caught many a beauty 
 by adopting this stratagem. On lochs the fly is always 
 regained by a succession of sharp jerks : the idea being 
 to impart a life-like attractiveness to the artificial. When 
 I deal with spinning a metal minnow, I shall elaborate on 
 the peculiarities of a snapping sea- trout, and you will 
 then be more convinced concerning the effectiveness of 
 quick reehng. 
 
 After the cast is made and the fly is carried with the 
 flow, every care must be exercised to avoid drag. The 
 
DAY FISHING WITH FLY 73 
 
 line must neither retard the run of the fly, nor precede the 
 lure. This endeavour to obviate the objectionable drag 
 may, at first, produce some heart-burnings, but by 
 practice, and practice alone, the fault can be eradicated. 
 
 If your efforts do not bear fruit immediately, try 
 manipulating the tip of your rod and, at the same time, 
 recover the slack of the line with your disengaged hand. 
 You can either pull the surplus line into a long loop, or 
 coil it in your hand. Ultimately you will correct the 
 defect unconsciously. 
 
 On learning to drive a car you have to think of all the 
 various actions when you change down, but with years 
 of experience you effect the change mechanically and 
 you would probably have difficulty, on the spur of the 
 moment, in stating in detail exactly what you have done. 
 Sq with a dragging Une you scarcely know what steps 
 you have taken to free the tendency, as the operation 
 becomes second nature. 
 
 Do not forget to study your background, when fishing 
 in dayKght for sea-trout. If the land is flat behind you, 
 and you and your flashing rod are silhouetted against the 
 sky, you must stand far back on the bank. If the ground 
 in your rear rises abruptly, you and your movements are, 
 to a certain extent, camouflaged, but, even so, I urge 
 you to keep away from the water as far as your ability 
 to throw a good line permits. 
 
 When I stroll along a favourite river-bank and see my 
 friends trying for sea-trout, I cannot help noticing the 
 distance each stands back from the river. A stranger 
 might think that a competition for long distance casting 
 is in progress, but these old and seasoned hands know the 
 value of keeping out of the sea-trout's sight, and I trow 
 that each of these anglers would tell you that his entire 
 success is due to the essential need of working unseen. 
 
 If I have laboured this item of seclusion overmuch, I 
 
74 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 have done so deliberately, as the fundamentals of a 
 fishing manual are to assist the reader to catch fish, and 
 I offer no apology for the prolongation of the topic, as, 
 from years of experience, I know that hundreds of visiting 
 rodsters to sea-trout rivers fail to achieve their purpose 
 because they do not fully realize that sea-trout in day- 
 time are so timid. 
 
 You may be able to throw a fly artistically and far, 
 and you may be able to collect big bags of brown trout, 
 but I assure you that you cannot take Hberties with sea- 
 trout. On many occasions I have caught, with a dry 
 fly, a nice brownie within five yards of my feet, but no 
 sea-trout has ever fallen a victim to me in a like manner. 
 A sea-trout seems to have eyes in its caudal fin, so quickly 
 does it scuttle from an approaching shadow. Hence, be 
 warned. 
 
 The greatest compliment that a writer on angUng can 
 receive is to know that someone has benefited from his 
 advice, and I hope that many fishing readers of this book 
 will be able to say that they have caught sea-trout owing 
 to my well-meant counsel. 
 
 Before passing from this chapter on the fly method of 
 enticement, I should, perhaps, refer to that herm- 
 aphroditical lure called the fly spinner, although it could 
 be included equally well in the following chapter 
 devoted to spinning. This fly spinner is a composite 
 contrivance embodying both fins and feather. It is 
 manufactured in a variety of forms : sparsely dressed 
 and heavily dressed : with treble hook and with single 
 hook : with and without swivel. It can also be obtained 
 with a dressing of any standard trout, sea-trout or salmon 
 fly ; so you can either make a wise selection or form a 
 collection. 
 
 These fly spinners can be used in clear water, but I 
 prefer to work them when there is a suspicion of colour 
 
DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW 75 
 
 in the pools, either immediately following a heavy shower 
 or when the river is fining after a deluge. 
 
 One approved way of employing the fly spinner is to 
 cast it to the far bank and then to retrieve it fairly quickly 
 in a series of gentle jerks. 
 
 Another deadly manner is to cast downstream and 
 recover the Une slowly by steady reeling. The current 
 in this case will impart a realistic appearance to the lure : 
 no doubt causing the sea-trout to imagine that the 
 weird insect is either exhilarated or in pain. 
 
 When I look round a tackle shop I cannot help medi- 
 tating on what our master, Izaak Walton, would think 
 if he could step inside and see the gorgeous assortment of 
 picturesque devices provided for tempting fish. " Would 
 he be spell-bound or crestfallen ? " I ask myself as I 
 remember his words, " Is it not an art to deceive a Trout 
 with an artificial Fly ? " 
 
 Still, with tens of thousands of anglers flicking the waters 
 to-day, no doubt every lure is mounted by one or another, 
 at sometime or other, and thus there is no wonder that 
 the sea-trout suffers from attacks of nervousness. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW 
 
 THE most killing lure for sea-trout is unquestionably 
 the metal minnow, providing that conditions are 
 suitable for its use. While the possibihty exists of 
 catching a sea-trout by spinning in a clear pool, a heavy 
 bag can be expected only when the river is full and 
 slightly coloured. At any period of the season an odd 
 
76 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 fish or two may seek the higher reaches irrespective of 
 the flow, but a considerable run does not materiaUze 
 unless the water is sufficiently attractive. During long 
 spells of drought, the better course is to leave the minnow 
 in the tackle case and so obviate hard work and dis- 
 appointment. An expert minnow caster, who lives close 
 to an excellent sea-trout river, told me that, during the 
 year 1944, he tried his hand barely a dozen times, solely 
 because, with the exception of two or three occasions, 
 there was so little water moving. Yet, day after day, 
 visiting anglers struggled hard against adversity, hoping 
 that their minnows would connect with a stray fish. 
 
 When the river is low, there are other displeasing 
 features to be taken into account in addition to the 
 pellucidity of the water. Then more rocks and boulders 
 are scantily covered, weed clogs the surface and hidden 
 roots are greater bugbears. With a good volume of 
 water flowing, the chances of the minnow fouling snags 
 are small, but with every drop of six inches in the level, 
 the risk of trouble increases proportionately. An 
 anchored treble is calculated to try the patience of the 
 most complacent angler, but when the misfortune is 
 continually repeated I would rather not be the victim's 
 companion. Hence, I suggest that a minnow should 
 not be mounted unless the prospects are auspicious. 
 
 When the river is in perfect order, spinning may be 
 enjoyed at any time in the day, but when the water has 
 fined to nearly its normal colour, the best time to throw 
 is within an hour or two of sundown. With the lessening 
 of the river's tint, sea-trout do not seem to be so interested 
 in scintillating minnows when the sun is high as they do 
 during even-tide. 
 
 There are several effective ways of casting the metal 
 minnow. Some anglers are content to throw from bank 
 to bank straight across a pool. I am not exactly in love 
 
DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW 77 
 
 with this plan. The sea-trout are lying facing upstream, 
 and I maintain that the area directly across the river, 
 in which the fish can be enticed, is somewhat limited. 
 I prefer to cast more to the tail of the pool, in which case 
 the travelUng minnow will, in all probabiUty, pass more 
 fish. 
 
 With a long stretch of open water, the ideal cast, to 
 my way of thinking, is one which shoots away down- 
 stream to the far bank. A throw of from forty to fifty 
 yards in these circumstances is tolerably easy, and, with 
 efficient winding, the minnow covers some grand ground. 
 
 Although to possess the ability to throw a long line 
 is advantageous, there is far more in spinning than in 
 merely making the minnow fly. A thorough knowledge 
 both of spins and of rates of recovery is essential when 
 sea-trout fishing, if the angler wishes to rank a trifle 
 above an average spinner. 
 
 Some month ago I was walking with a fishing friend 
 along a river bank. This friend is one of the best present- 
 day adepts with the metal minnow, and his angling 
 opinions are always to be respected. Having finished 
 with our rods, we were on our way downstream to our 
 homes. As we emerged from a thicket I noticed on the 
 opposite bank an angler just as he had completed an 
 unusually long cast. Directing my friend's attention to 
 him, I remarked that the unknown rodster seemed to be 
 capable of a mighty lengthy throw. My friend eyed the 
 stranger for a few seconds and replied somewhat tartly, 
 ** Yes. He's got a hotel ticket. He was here all yesterday, 
 but he did not touch a thing. I passed him this morning, 
 and could see that he would do no good. Of course, he 
 might hook an orphan ; beyond that I would not give 
 much for his chance. He can put the line out all right, 
 but the trouble is he is using the wrong spin. I spoke 
 to him as I came up this evening, and would have put 
 
78 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 him wise, but he is one of those grumpy individuals who 
 are best left alone." 
 
 As I ventured no comment, my friend continued, 
 " Look now. You've a couple of brace and I have three 
 brace. If we had not selected the correct spin, I'll wager 
 any money that we should not have come home with 
 more than half a brace between us. As I told you long 
 enough ago, the correct spin is more important than 
 everything else. A right-hand spin when a left-hand 
 one should be mounted, or a left-hand spin when a right- 
 hand one is correct, will not catch sea-trout. The extra- 
 ordinary part of the business is that of the umpteen 
 visitors who fish this water, nine out of every ten know 
 nothing about spinning. True, they can cast, but they 
 don't work with their heads." 
 
 Yes, my old tutor had, times without number, drilled 
 into me this instruction concerning the proper spin. In 
 fact the manner in which a metal minnow should revolve 
 had, I feel sure, become a fetish to him. 
 
 When he started teaching me in the dim past he was 
 not only painstaking, but he ampHfied his opinions with 
 logical argument, and as a consequence the reasons for 
 his statements were easily understandable. 
 
 If you are not acquainted with the secret of the correct 
 spin for sea-trout I will elucidate the mystery. Before 
 doing so, however, I should perhaps preface my remarks 
 by giving the grounds for my choice of terms. 
 
 When you stand by a river running to the west and 
 face the way of the sea, the north bank is the right- 
 hand one, but in similar circumstances, with a river 
 flowing eastward, the north bank is then the left-hand 
 one. But rivers are journeying in all directions to the 
 sea, so to rely for nomenclature on the points of the 
 compass might lead to confusion. Further, I wish to use 
 the expressions of right-hand spin and left-hand spin. 
 
DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW 
 
 79 
 
 hence to avoid any misunderstanding in that respect 
 concerning the words of right and left as appHed to the 
 banks, I will endeavour to make my meaning as lucid 
 as possible by describing the respective banks thus : 
 the one upon which you stand is the near bank and 
 the opposite one is the far bank. By employing this 
 method no ambiguity should arise, and, whatever 
 the course of the river may be, my explanation holds 
 good. 
 
 I crave the indulgence of the expert angler regarding 
 
 FAR BANK 
 
 NEAR BANK 
 
 INCORRECT SPIN 
 
 Unbroken line denotes flight of minnow. 
 Broken line denotes return of minnow. 
 Arrow denotes flow of river. 
 
 the foregoing exposition, but I want the t5nro to com- 
 prehend fully my meaning in the easiest way, as the use 
 of the proper minnow is the most important step in his 
 spinning career for the sea-trout. 
 
 When from the near bank to the far bank you cast 
 downstream and retrieve your line, the minnow will either 
 sail towards the middle of the river and follow up the 
 centre until you reel it hard to your bank, or it will spin 
 towards the far bank and hug that bank until the time 
 comes for you to reel it across the river. In the first 
 
8o 
 
 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 instance the minnow is spinning incorrectly, and you 
 should change it immediately. If you are employing a 
 right-hand spin, then a left-hand one should be mounted, 
 and vice versa. 
 
 In the second case, when the minnow spins close to 
 the far bank, you are using the proper spin. As I have 
 mentioned previously, the sea-trout of the shoal variety 
 keep to the deep water under the bank's bushes and 
 consequently your minnow, to be effective, must spin 
 
 FAR BANK 
 
 S. 
 
 NEAR BANK 
 
 CORRECT SPIN 
 
 Unbroken line denotes flight of minnow. 
 Broken line denotes return of minnow. 
 Arrow denotes flow of river. 
 
 through that water. A simple plan to adopt is to attach 
 a right-hand spin minnow at first, cast and note the 
 result. If the spin does not achieve the desired purpose, 
 change the minnow for one with a left-hand spin. 
 Naturally, should you cross the river and prospect from 
 the other bank, you must work with a minnow of the 
 opposite spin. 
 
 I am convinced that if you act in accordance with this 
 advice you will be astonished at the marked increase 
 in your sport. 
 
o 
 o 
 
 h-1 
 
w 
 
DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW 8l 
 
 This suggestion relating to the selection of a correct 
 spinner may seem to be insignificant, but do not forget 
 that the finishing touch brings a picture to perfection. 
 
 The next item to be taken into account is the manner 
 in which the spinning of the minnow should be performed. 
 All preconceived ideas of the '' sink-and-draw " and 
 *' slow-and-fast " methods must be scrapped. To spin 
 for sea-trout is in a class by itself. You may be an 
 adroit spinner for pike, but the style which you favour 
 for catching that fish will serve you nothing in spinning 
 for sea-trout. No fish is more energetic or quicker in 
 its actions that the sea-trout. Therefore, to spin suc- 
 cessfully, smart reeling is imperative. Do not be afraid 
 of briskly turning your reel, and, if practicable, watch 
 your minnow. I have known an occasion when a sea- 
 trout has followed a metal minnow concernedly through 
 fast water and then, at the moment when the consumma- 
 tion of the race was in sight, the minnow, reaching a 
 bit of slack water, has lost its spin. In a twinkhng the 
 sea-trout abandoned the contest, turned tail and no doubt 
 congratulated itself on having detected a sham. Probably 
 had I reeled vigorously so as to neutralize the effect of 
 the dead water I should have kept alive the interest of 
 the crafty fish, but after thoughts do not circumvent 
 past errors : all that can be done in such vexatious 
 circumstances is to make a note for future guidance. 
 
 An illustration of the consequences produced by the 
 difference in the rate of reel-winding was brought to my 
 notice not long ago, and as this confirms my plea for 
 fast reeling when spinning for sea-trout, the record of 
 it may prove of much value to intending spinners. 
 
 A friend of mine, and a champion spinning enthusiast 
 
 for salmon, invited a crony of his for a day's sport with 
 
 the salmon. The programme arranged by my friend, 
 
 whose water the pair were going to fish, was for his 
 
 F 
 
82 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 guest to work in advance downstream, and wait at a 
 bridge about a mile distant. When the two fishers 
 arrived at the river the host gave his visitor half an 
 hour's start and told him to sample every pool, saying 
 that he would take what was left. I was covering another 
 length up to the bridge where the three of us intended 
 to have lunch. When I reached the rendezvous the 
 visitor had already arrived, and he was elated by having 
 caught four sizable sea-trout, although he had not seen 
 a salmon. 
 
 Not long afterwards our friend put in an appearance. 
 He was hot and tired with the exertion of having carried 
 four salmon, and our pleasure on his success was in- 
 tensified when he informed us that he had left four more 
 salmon on the bank about half a mile upstream. But 
 he had not touched a sea-trout. 
 
 When the four discarded fish had been recovered and 
 our attention was focused on lunch, we held an inquest 
 on the morning's proceedings. I may say that both 
 fishers were using identical tackle, as my friend had fixed 
 up his guest with a metal minnow and trace. 
 
 Upon deliberating on the fact that the visitor had 
 accounted for four sea-trout and no salmon, while his 
 companion had grassed eight salmon and no sea-trout, 
 our host, after listening to our respective theories, said, 
 " Both of you are down the wrong street altogether. 
 The sole reason for the different catches is the rate of 
 reeling." Picking up his rod and pulling off a quantity 
 of line, he turned to his guest and said, '* See, to catch 
 salmon you should wind like this." With a somewhat 
 slow but methodical wind he demonstrated the appro- 
 priate action. " Instead of which you reel like this and 
 attract the sea-trout." At the same time he wound the 
 reel at about twice the speed which he had employed 
 when showing the rate required for salmon. 
 
DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW 83 
 
 Finally he remarked to his confrere, *' Now, my boy, 
 there's a salmon in yon weir pool. After we have finished 
 our meal you shall come and catch it, if you will not be 
 too impulsive with your reel. Don't forget salmon are 
 most deliberate in their taking, and really a salmon is 
 the most stupid fish in our rivers. Anybody can catch 
 one if he will only reel slowly, but a sea-trout is a flash 
 of fury : it darts and snaps without giving the minnow 
 two thoughts." 
 
 When we had disposed of our lunch and our smokes 
 were giving satisfaction to us, we strolled across to the 
 weir pool. Our guide said, '* As I came down the bank 
 before lunch I saw a nice salmon jump near the far side, 
 immediately to the right of that guelder bush. Now 
 put your minnow about a foot upstream beyond the 
 bush and retrieve your line slowly." 
 
 The minnow was cast accordingly and the master of 
 ceremonies commented, '* Capital," and then *' No, no, 
 no. You're reefing much too fast. Now try again. Let 
 the minnow sink a few inches and start reefing ever so 
 slowly, just to prevent the treble fouling a snag ; then 
 keep to a slow, steady wind." 
 
 Once more the minnow whizzed, and this time the 
 rodster strictly obeyed his instructions. Then of a 
 sudden the water was churned, and in about ten minutes 
 a fresh-run salmon of a dozen pounds in weight was 
 lying on the grass. " Now you know at what rate to 
 wind for a salmon," laughingly remarked the gratified 
 instructor. 
 
 I think that you wiU now realize that to catch sea- 
 trout with a metal minnow there are two leading principles 
 to be observed, apart from scientific casting, and I place 
 them in this order : one, the selection of the correct 
 spin, and two, quick and uninterrupted reefing. 
 
 If you are a prospective candidate for spinning honours, 
 
84 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 I have no hesitation in recommending to you this style 
 of working. Even if you are experienced and have been 
 trained in another school, I suggest that you give the 
 ideas which I have detailed an extensive trial and then 
 compare the new results with those that you achieved 
 previously. Should your old methods have given to you 
 greater satisfaction, you can easily return to them and 
 be in a better position to offer an opinion on the respective 
 merits of both ways of spinning. 
 
 I am often asked why I adhere to the slotless metal 
 minnow carrying only one treble at the tail. The answer 
 is simple : I know that this pattern meets all my re- 
 quirements. I have a notion that the type with 
 one treble spins more sweetly than the slotted variety 
 furnished with four trebles, or even the slotless one 
 supplied with two trebles at the tail. Further, the single 
 treble is not so likely to gather weed or to foul roots as 
 is the one with four trebles. Again, my favourite seems 
 to me to be a better pretender than one garnished with 
 many hooks. Another advantage of the minnow with 
 one treble is that it is so easily assembled ; this is purely 
 a personal reason, as I make my own traces ; and, in 
 addition to effecting laudable economy, I find that the 
 benefits of my special tool outweigh those of shop articles. 
 
 For many years I have refrained from using the four 
 treble pattern. Not only does that one savour too much 
 of ironmongery to please me, but when at the initial 
 stage of casting you are endeavouring to avoid a treble 
 forming contact with contiguous brambles and shrubs, 
 the hooks are apt to seek your clothing. To remove 
 your jacket for the purpose of releasing an offending 
 barb is but a small inconvenience, but when a treble 
 connects with the rear of your breeches, you may be 
 excused for offering your opinion in a voluble and an 
 unequivocal manner. 
 
DAY FISHING WITH MINNOW 85 
 
 Although I have a strong leaning towards the metal 
 minnow with one treble, I would not presume to state 
 that this is the best type on the market. No one is in 
 the happy position of being able to express such an 
 absolute opinion about any angling item. Few of us 
 have tried the majority of artifices manufactured for 
 our sea and fresh-water pleasures, and even if anyone 
 has found time to flirt with every fishing instrument, 
 he would still be unable to dogmatize convincingly, as 
 that which may suit his needs would be turned down by 
 someone who held other views. Hence, in all angling 
 matters, experiment for yourself and form your own 
 opinion, but at the same time be ever ready to consider 
 impartially every informative idea. 
 
 If you are contemplating a day's spinning in a river, 
 be sure to arm yourself with spare metal minnows. For 
 patrolling one bank the minimum number of lures to 
 provide should be either two right-hand spinners or two 
 left-hand spinners, according to the bank from which 
 you propose casting. Should you intend to throw from 
 both banks, see that your stock comprises two spinners 
 of each variety. This may sound banal advice, but you 
 cannot afford to spoil your trip by lack of spare parts. 
 
 Prior to the outbreak of war I was staying at a country 
 inn which I had made my headquarters whilst fishing 
 for sea-trout. One evening a young man arrived for his 
 first spinning venture in quest of that fish. He was a 
 nice lad and was immensely keen on the sport. 
 
 To his mother, who had accompanied him, he dilated 
 throughout the evening on his expected success when 
 the morrow came, and when he knew that I was bound 
 for a similar errand his delight was unUmited. I was 
 able to tell him that the river was in perfect fettle for 
 spinning, as it was full and slightly coloured after a 
 night's heavy fall of rain. 
 
86 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 He asked innumerable questions regarding the course 
 of the river, and I was glad to supply him with plenty 
 of information, including a rough diagram of the water 
 showing the localities of the best pools. He was most 
 grateful to me and confided in me that he could throw a 
 longer line than could his father, with whom, on Saturdays 
 in the winter months, he went spinning for pike. 
 
 On the following morning the exuberant young man 
 could scarcely wait to finish his breakfast, as he was in 
 such a desperate hurry to be off with his rod, and he was 
 well clear of the inn soon after nine o'clock. 
 
 As I was otherwise engaged my fishing was neglected 
 that morning, but at noon I decided to go for a stroll 
 along the river bank and see how the water was fining. 
 After journeying for about half a mile upstream I met 
 the young enthusiast returning. His appearance was 
 very dejected, and to my query as to how he had fared, 
 he replied, *' Had beastly bad luck.'' 
 
 I turned back with him, and I will let him tell his own 
 story. " I thought that I would try some of the far 
 pools that you mentioned, so I hurried down here, and 
 for the next two miles padded through swamp and 
 jungle. My, the going was hard ! All the way I didn't 
 see a decent place to throw a line, and I never met a 
 soul. Then I came to a clearing and a topping open 
 pool. I'll bet it is full of sea-trout." 
 
 It is, as it is the best holding pool in the river. The 
 near side ends in a strip of shingle, while the far side, 
 which never carries less than eight feet of water, is 
 bordered by an impenetrable mass of undergrowth and 
 overhanging trees. 
 
 " Well, when I saw the pool I knew that my dream 
 had come true. I had a good look around, and picked 
 a nice spot from where to throw. I don't know how it 
 happened, but my first cast landed the minnow right 
 
NIGHT-FISHING ANTICIPATION 87 
 
 into a blackthorn bush on the opposite bank. I tried 
 every dodge to dislodge the minnow, but there was 
 nothing doing." 
 
 " I remembered that you said there is a bridge farther 
 up, so I propped my rod against a tree and bolted. I 
 found the bridge, crossed it and came down the bank. 
 I knew approximately where I had left my rod, and soon 
 I saw my line stretched across the river. I tried to get 
 through the bushes, but they are too dense. I had to 
 give up the job. Why, Fm like a butcher's shop. Well, 
 I came back, and the only thing to be done was to pull 
 the line, and hope to lose as little of it as possible, but 
 my only spinner went west. You see, when I'm at home 
 we fish a fine open reservoir, and there are no ghastly 
 trees to watch. Father carries a spare, but we never 
 lose a minnow, so I did not think of packing an extra 
 one. Now I've spent a morning for nowt, and lost a 
 minnow into the bargain.'' 
 
 This is not the only angler whom I have met who has 
 been caught napping by depending on a sohtary minnow ; 
 hence you are advised to profit by other fishers' lapses. 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 NIGHT-FISHING — ANTICIPATION 
 
 NIGHT-FISHING for sea-trout seems to me to be 
 more of a business of catching fish than pleasant 
 sport. I am prepared to agree that, all things being 
 equal, more sea-trout can be taken by night than by 
 day, for to return with a basket of four brace as the 
 result of a night's toil is nothing unusual, but I would 
 
88 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 far sooner be rewarded with one fish as my quota for a 
 trip in daylight. 
 
 Between bonts of serious casting during a sunny day 
 in late summer, to laze occasionally in the shade of a 
 leafy elm and to watch the white woolly clouds drifting 
 slowly against a sky of blue, to listen to the rhythmic 
 purr of a binder and to see the sheaves of corn tossed 
 aside, to see a streak of turquoise as a kingfisher flashes 
 upstream, and to hear the harsh call of a pheasant, to 
 watch a heron flapping its way in search of a fresh fishing 
 stance and to listen to the mews of the buzzards that 
 sail and wheel high overhead, to see the young bullocks 
 standing knee deep in the river and to watch baby 
 rabbits scurrying from their burrows to explore the un- 
 known, to see the sheep contentedly settled in the shade 
 and to study the butterflies that flit from flower to 
 flower, yea, even to watch a water-vole feeding on the 
 succulent grasses at the water's edge and to see a moor- 
 hen scuttling across the river, afford me more satisfaction 
 than creeping about in blacked-out spinneys at night, 
 tripping over brambles and slipping on unexpected mud 
 patches. I much prefer to note the pageant of mellowing 
 summer than to wander half blind in the murkiness of 
 an unlit night. 
 
 Although through several decades I have given night 
 fishing exhaustive trials, I cannot say that I have com- 
 pletely revelled in my trips. 
 
 Further, when you strike a good fish at night I think 
 that you miss the real joy of angling. True, you see a 
 silvery flash when the fish jumps on feeling the barb, 
 but after that the game generally deteriorates into a bit 
 of skull-dragging, unrelieved by a display of finessing. 
 In day-time you are not only thrilled by a jumping 
 fish, but without difiiculty you can follow the move- 
 ments of the fighting victim, and ultimately play it 
 
NIGHT-FISHING ANTICIPATION 89 
 
 dexterously to the net. In which case your delight is 
 enhanced by the knowledge that you have fairly won 
 the contest. 
 
 Nevertheless, we are not all cast in the same mould, 
 and I know scores of men who affirm that they derive 
 as much gratification from fishing in the dark hours as 
 they do when the sun is shining. 
 
 Although I should have no hesitation in expressing an 
 opinion to the effect that night work is better suited to 
 the young and strong, I have encountered many anglers 
 in my midnight travels who cannot claim the advantages 
 of youth and strength. 
 
 One old gentleman who had passed his eightieth birth- 
 day was in the habit, for several years, of visiting one of 
 my favourite rivers. He came solely for sea-trout 
 fishing at night, and he was most regular in his pro- 
 ceedings. At ten o'clock each night, whatever might 
 be the weather, this octogenarian, accompanied by a local 
 gillie, would wend his way to the river, and he would fish 
 until one o'clock in the morning, or later if he had not 
 caught a brace. The giUie had to stand far back from 
 his master and wait until he received a call. Then, on 
 hearing the warning shout, he had to run and net the fish. 
 
 After the old gentleman had finished his holiday one 
 year and had departed, the factotum volunteered the 
 information to me that he looked forward every season 
 to that angler's visit on account of the handsome pay 
 and tips which he received, adding, *' But I don't Hke 
 the hours. It's cold and monotonous standing still, 
 and I'm afraid, every time I go, that the old chap will 
 make a night of it, as he keeps saying that he will try 
 another pool after each blank one that he has worked ; 
 so I am jolly thankful when he has got his brace, though 
 he generally ends up with two brace, as he is a marvel 
 with his rod." 
 
90 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 Another exceptional character was a county cricketing 
 amateur of some merit, who completed his life's innings 
 a few years back. He had the misfortune to suffer from 
 rheumatoid arthritis and he could walk only with the 
 greatest trouble, though he was able to stand. His 
 chauffeur would drive him to his fishing hut near the 
 bank of the river and then assist him to the brink, from 
 which position he would cast until he decided to try 
 elsewhere. Once more the chauffeur would come to his 
 aid, and, having fixed him in the desired spot, would 
 stand behind him in readiness to net the spoil. 
 
 Lastly, an old friend of mine, who has nearly reached 
 four score years, was warned many years ago by his 
 doctor not to fish alone at night. The old sport laughs 
 at the suggestion and, when he knows that the sea-trout 
 are up, he makes for the river as soon as the sun has set. 
 There, with the zest of a youngster, he fishes in the dark, 
 and rarely returns with less than a brace. Therefore, 
 should you be past your prime and feel the weight of 
 advancing years, take courage from those who have 
 battled cheerfully with age and infirmity. But, whether 
 you be old or young, do not wade at night unless you are 
 acquainted with every inch of the river's bed, for some 
 rivers are most treacherous. In one, which I fish, there 
 are ledges of rock extending for several yards and are 
 covered by about a foot of water, then suddenly there is 
 a sheer drop of anything from six to eight feet. Daylight 
 wading in this river is fraught with danger, but to attempt 
 that action in darkness is simply asking for a catastrophe. 
 I offer this caution because so many anglers visit unknown 
 waters for a fishing holiday of a week or two in anti- 
 cipation of catching sea-trout at night. At an angling 
 inn, where I often stay, scores of enthusiastic night 
 fishers are to be found every season. There, the young 
 bloods turn night into day, as they start on their adven- 
 
NIGHT-FISHING ANTICIPATION 9I 
 
 tures at about 10 p.m. and never cease operations before 
 3 a.m., while their breakfast is usually served between 
 eleven and noon. One night, a venturesome member of 
 a party waded too far, and a calamity was averted merely 
 by the fact that his companions were able to go to his 
 rescue at a critical moment. 
 
 To render night fishing worth while and agreeable, 
 attention in every detail must be paid to preparation. 
 The methodical angler in daytime scores the most points, 
 but even he must make doubly sure of his readiness for 
 night duty. Each item of tackle should have its allotted 
 place, so that, if need be, a spare can be found by touch. 
 Consequently, before starting for the water, satisfy 
 yourself that all the requisite articles are in order. 
 
 The first essential is to see that you are suitably clad. 
 During the heat of a summer's day you may be tempted 
 to ignore the probable low temperature at night, and, if 
 you are new to the business, you have no idea how thin 
 and cold the atmosphere is at midnight. As you stand 
 in the dewy grass by the side of the chilly river, the air 
 becomes charged with dankness that seems to penetrate 
 to the marrow of your bones : hence some additional 
 protection is highly necessary. 
 
 I favour a suede jacket to be worn under an ordinary 
 coat. This Ught but warmth-providing article can be 
 carried easily in a fishing bag, and can be donned at the 
 water-side, after the exercise of walking to the selected 
 pool has set up a healthy glow. 
 
 A fishing novice asked me, one evening in a September, 
 if he might join me in a night's jaunt. I readily agreed, 
 but advised him to augment his day's attire, as he had 
 been wearing slacks and a blazer, without a waistcoat, 
 when trouting. He did not fall in with the idea, as he 
 considered that a nip in the air would be a welcome 
 change after the day's torrid heat. We began casting 
 
92 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 just before eleven o'clock, but within an hour his teeth 
 were chattering, and he told me that he was perished 
 with the cold. Although some heartening plops presaged 
 the likelihood of decent creels, the youth decided to pack 
 his bag and hurry home. The nip undoubtedly contained 
 a germ of frost. 
 
 In the darkness there are occasions when a light is a 
 paramount necessity, but at these times both hands are 
 generally engaged in duties which preclude the holding 
 of a lamp. Some device, therefore, must be engineered 
 by which a light can be shone in the right direction 
 without resource to the hands. An electric torch attached 
 to a belt worn round the waist is one simple method of 
 supplying the want. Another way is by pressing the 
 ordinary torch pattern flash-lamp into service, and the 
 manner in which this article can be satisfactorily em- 
 ployed is by tying one end of a cord round the butt end 
 of the lamp. The other end of the cord should be 
 attached to the button-hole in the left lapel of your 
 coat. The cord should then be passed round the back 
 of your neck and under the collar of your coat. The 
 flash-lamp should be carried in the left breast pocket of 
 your coat, and the length of the cord from the flash-lamp 
 to the button-hole should be about two feet six inches. 
 When the lamp is required, all that you have to do is to 
 remove it from your pocket, switch on the light and let 
 the lamp hang down in front of you. As a result, you 
 will find that you will be able to use both your hands 
 comfortably in the rays of the light, and thus you can 
 conveniently unhook a fish, mount a fresh fly, exchange 
 a cast or perform other similar tasks. 
 
 At night you need to be certain that, when you are 
 about to net a fish, your landing net is functioning 
 properly. If a friend accompanies you, he can turn a 
 light on the proceedings, but if you are working alone, 
 
NIGHT-FISHING ANTICIPATION 93 
 
 you have to act in the dark. In which case, you do not 
 want to run a risk with an obstinate net. Sometimes a 
 net fails to sink, and a fish can be quickly lost when you 
 are endeavouring to play it into a floating net. To 
 overcome this defect, a simple remedy is to bind a few 
 strips of lead round the bottom strands of the net. This 
 weight will cause the net to sink immediately, and you 
 are therefore relieved of any anxiety. 
 
 You are probably conversant with a particular river 
 and, in the daytime, when casting across it, you can put 
 a fly within an inch or two of the bushes on the far bank, 
 but do not imagine that you can cast with such accuracy 
 at night, or you will pay a penalty out of proportion to 
 your innocent zeal. 
 
 Before now, strangers have joined me at night and 
 have remarked on my confidence but apparent unconcern 
 when casting. For this supposed feat no ability is 
 required, I assure you : the nonchalance is merely an 
 illusion. If you are not familiar with the trick which 
 permits of night casting with this ease, I will supply the 
 solution. 
 
 When I am throwing over some water in daylight in 
 anticipation of covering it at night, I make false casts 
 until there is sufficient line out to reach the growth on 
 the opposite bank : that consequently is the limit of 
 line to be unwound for my casting in the dark. Then, 
 instead of using the reel, I retrieve the line by pulling it 
 in by hand and coiling it beside me. Next, at a couple 
 of inches from the reel, I tie securely a piece of worsted 
 round the line. 
 
 At night, after a few false casts, the little knot of 
 worsted warns me to cease deploying more line, and I 
 can then throw with utter disregard of the dangerous 
 twigs on the far bank : so much therefore for suspected 
 but lion-intrinsic skill. 
 
94 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 When you spend years by the water-side and associate 
 with all kinds of rodsters, your memory becomes packed 
 with amusing incidents and interludes which cross your 
 mind in season and out of season. One of the greatest 
 charms of angUng is this collecting of varied experiences 
 and docketing them for storage in the mental hbrary. 
 
 Referring to the means of registering the range for 
 casting at night reminds me of an episode which occurred 
 in my presence not sSO very long ago. 
 
 A friend of mine, who was most desirous of making his 
 acquaintance with a sea-trout at night, arranged to visit 
 me during a week-end for the purpose of wetting a line. 
 In the past he had enjoyed plenty of fun with the brown 
 trout, but he had never attempted sea-trout fishing, 
 after he had put his gear together, I advised him to take 
 a leaf out of my book and, with my marked line as a guide, 
 to decorate his hne with a bit of worsted. He pooh- 
 poohed the idea, stating that he could gauge the distance 
 of his cast without any botchy innovations. He is rather 
 impulsive and loathes anything which befits orderliness, 
 so I did not press the proposition. 
 
 When we arrived by the river, the light was dim, but 
 we could still distinguish the far bank. After showing 
 to my friend two excellent pools and offering to him the 
 choice of them, we separated and commenced our 
 endeavours. 
 
 For a time, casting was unprofitable, and when I was 
 beginning to think that the sea-trout must have moved 
 up the river, a small one of an ounce over a pound came 
 to my net and revived my, interest. At the same time 
 I heard some embarrassing language emanating from my 
 friend downstream. As he is somewhat florid in his 
 vocabulary when little things go awry, I gave no heed to 
 the outburst. Presently, however, further vocal pro- 
 fanity caused me to wander down the bank to asctrtain 
 
NIGHT-FISHING ANTICIPATION 95 
 
 the reason for the irritation. I had no difficulty in 
 locating my friend and, when I reached him, I found him 
 in a state of unsuppressed annoyance. From what I 
 could understand, he had foul-hooked something on the 
 opposite bank. He had tried gentle persuasion in the 
 early stages, but as that was unavailing, he had been 
 incited to resort to more robust measures. He certainly 
 had made a sorry mess of his tackle as, in addition to 
 relinquishing the whole of his cast and entangling his 
 line in a near bank-side bush, he had fractured the top 
 joint of his rod. 
 
 As rain began to fall heavily, and as a spectator could 
 not be expected to amuse himself in foul weather, we 
 decided to pack our belongings and turn for home. On 
 our way my friend said he wished that he had put a piece 
 of worsted round his line, as he had formed the opinion 
 that, in the darkness, to overcast is very simple. 
 
 On the following day we walked up the far bank to see 
 if we could discover the obstruction which my friend had 
 hit, and, in a direct line from where he had been casting, 
 we found the cast tightly twisted round a length of barbed- 
 wire which passed through the undergrowth. Little 
 wonder was it that mild coaxing had failed. 
 
 The preparations which I have described may seem to 
 be trivial in themselves, but in the aggregate they are 
 bound to have the effect of simplifying the task at the 
 pools. No battle is won without detailed plotting, and 
 the discomfiture of the sea-trout at night demands 
 careful planning. The chief benefit of prescience in this 
 case is that you can devote the whole of your attention 
 to fishing. In the dark, you do not want to think about 
 anything except the actual business of placing your fly, 
 and most decidedly you do not want your thoughts dis- 
 tracted from that artistic work by giving heed to minor 
 affairs. While, when you feel a welcome thud at the 
 
96 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 end of your line, you need to believe that all is well 
 without wondering whether your net will behave itself 
 or whether you will be able to see to release a hidden 
 barb in the upper jaw of a fish. 
 
 In ideal conditions the path of the night fisher is 
 rough, but concentration on the job in hand and con- 
 fidence in the tools employed will help to lighten his 
 labours. If the angler is blessed with these two assets, 
 and should he form one of a party, he will not be far 
 down in the prize list when the count is taken of the 
 sea-trout captured. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 NIGHT-FISHING — REALIZATION 
 
 IN all forms of angling, climatic and water conditions 
 play the chief roles, and there is small prospect of 
 filling creels unless those conditions are favourable. 
 When the sea comes creeping gently along the sands, 
 with only wavelets rising, roUing and breaking, the bass 
 fisherman knows that there is little hope of hooking a 
 coveted fish, for bass come inshore only when the waves 
 thunder and crash, thereby disturbing hidden deUcacies. 
 The man who throws a fly for brown trout, does not 
 need to be told that when a spate sends the river roaring 
 bank high, a journey to the water-side would be profitless, 
 for he is aware that then brownies are either sheltering 
 under big rocks or resting in coloured backwaters. No 
 fishing, however, seems so doomed to disappointment as 
 is that for sea-trout at night. 
 
 On a moonless night, made more dark by a stratus, a 
 
NIGHT-FISHING REALIZATION 97 
 
 night SO black that you can scarcely see your hand 
 before your face, you may be bold enough to venture a 
 trip with the rod, but in these adverse circumstances I 
 do not advise you to tread even a well-known path as I 
 am of opinion you will regret the enterprise. Of course, 
 during a moonless but starry night you may be afforded 
 sufficient Ught by which you can cover a familiar pool. 
 
 I deprecate working in brilliant moonshine, as experi- 
 ence has taught me that sea-trout will not sport so well 
 when moonbeams silver the water. By casting in the 
 deep shade of thick overhanging trees and bushes I have 
 hooked sea-trout but these captures are not conclusive 
 evidence in support of a claim that the fish will take 
 when the moon is high. Whether in actuality the bright 
 fight from the moon is responsible for a diminution in 
 responsive fish, or whether the angler's movements in 
 the glare are more pronounced to the sea-trout, thus 
 causing the fish to stay down, must, I am afraid, remain a 
 moot point. Yet another problem is whether the sea- 
 trout become more shy the farther that they run. The 
 reason that I mention this is becaure on a bright night 
 the reports which I have received from water close to 
 the estuary have been of fair catches, whilst from the 
 higher reaches the returns have been signally poor. 
 While deahng with this abstruse subject the fact that in 
 the illumination one bank may be better than the other 
 must not be overlooked. 
 
 According to my bag, the best times in which to try 
 your skill are either from late evening onwards or when 
 the moon is obscured by heavy clouds. For evening 
 angfing on open water you should wait until you can 
 just discern the river and the far bank. If, however, the 
 pools are well screened by trees, you can start operations 
 earher. When the moon has risen, the chances are not 
 so good if the clouds are broken, as every now and again 
 
 G 
 
98 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 there is a sudden burst of strong light. The ideal con- 
 dition is when the clouds are so heavy and uniform that 
 merely a subdued light filters through. 
 
 Having selected a night that has given every promise 
 of agreeable fishing, one of the most aggravating set- 
 backs that you can experience is for a bank of fog to 
 come rolling up the valley and to blot out the river. 
 Evening mists of this character are somewhat prevalent 
 in late summer and early autumn, and they have the 
 effect of quelling any desire on the part of the sea-trout 
 to give a performance. When you see a white vapour 
 stealing towards you, the most sensible thing to do is to 
 pack your kit at once and hope for a better morrow. 
 
 When reviewing the many disadvantages with which 
 the night fisher has to contend, I think that there is no 
 exaggeration in saying that the odds are in favour of the 
 sea-trout. 
 
 I have met men who have paid visits of a fortnight to a 
 sea-trout river and, owing to a miscellany of impossible 
 conditions, have not been able to make a cast during any 
 night. Contrariwise, others who have had to be content 
 with long week-ends, have arrived in time for a pro- 
 pitious spell of weather and have used their rods each 
 night. Therefore, to make arrangements with any 
 degree of certainty of striking a lucky patch is out of the 
 question. 
 
 When the outlook is satisfactory, we ** locals " usually 
 form a small party of three or four for night work, as 
 company helps to enUven the drab periods when the fish 
 are down. Each of us carries a whistle so that, in time 
 of stress, the one who needs assistance can summon it. 
 A six or an eight pounder requires some manipulation if 
 the sea-trout is to be grassed in the dark, and a helping 
 hand can turn potential disaster into success. If you are 
 using a collapsible landing net at such a time, release the 
 
NIGHT-FISHING REALIZATION 99 
 
 arms when the sea-trout is safely inside, as the fish can 
 be more easily controlled in a loose net. 
 
 Another benefit which accrues from angUng with a few 
 kindred spirits is that the homeward journey in the 
 early hours, if made with a friend or two, is more inter- 
 esting than is trudging alone an uncharted path of a 
 couple of miles. 
 
 Most night anglers either keep their rods and tackle in 
 commission or assemble their gear in dayUght before 
 embarking on their expedition. If your route is beside 
 bushes and under trees do not fail to disjoint your rod. 
 There is no necessity to dismantle the reel and line. 
 See that the fly is secure in the fly-ring, then simply pull 
 the rod apart and twist the spare line round the joints. 
 You will be able to walk with greater comfort by gripping 
 three feet of rod than by traiHng a length of nine feet, 
 and, as a sequel to the foresight, you will arrive at your 
 destination in a better frame of mind. The rod can be 
 taken down and reassembled in a couple of minutes. 
 I urge this point because to reach a pool for which I have 
 a strong partiahty, my way meanders through coppices 
 and across marshes. Here and there barbed-wire fences 
 have to be negotiated and slippery hollows traversed. 
 Consequently a journey in the dark is not exactly a 
 delight, particularly with a rod of unwieldy length. 
 Indeed, on a fair path an assembled rod is a handicap 
 w^hen daylight has departed, so you are advised to accept 
 a graceful warning. 
 
 When you arrive at the river, do not waste time in 
 flogging glides and broken water, but go straight to the 
 pools. Sea-trout know their river as well as you know 
 the road in which your home is set, and the fish spend 
 their nights in deep pools. If you cannot turn a sea- 
 trout in that water you may be sure that to try elsewhere 
 will be fruitless. 
 
100 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 Now we will consider what lure should be mounted. 
 Undoubtedly, an artificial fly is the correct choice. 
 Years ago, for the purpose of research, I experimented 
 with metal minnows, but I am satisfied that a sea-trout 
 will not follow a minnow at night, and this opinion is 
 confirmed by many of my angling friends. Hence we 
 must decide upon a fly. 
 
 Of all the arguments brought forward in connection 
 with fly fishing I am incUned to believe that the subject 
 of flies usable for sea-trout at night produces the greatest 
 variance of views. The colours of the dressings and the 
 sizes of the hooks cause endless contention, and each 
 advocate is positive that his style is the best. 
 
 During the final weeks of every sea-trout season one 
 fishing inn situated in my neighbourhood is always 
 booked to capacity by visiting anglers, and to listen to 
 the debates which take place in the snuggery of the inn 
 is most entertaining. Some of the visitors never seem 
 to weary of giving lectures on the value of black flies, 
 while others amplify those claims by introducing the 
 theory of nocto-vision, but I cannot help noticing that 
 the patient hearers continue to persevere with their own 
 special patterns of flies. 
 
 I must confess that, by listening to a tirade on the 
 lethal properties of a fly dressed in mourning, I have 
 been nearly convinced that to mount any other fly than 
 a black one would be futile. However, I have given 
 most dressings, including the much-vaunted black one, 
 genuine trials, and when the fish are in an obliging mood 
 I have never observed a marked discrimination in the 
 choice of the proffered wares. 
 
 You would imagine, with numerous anglers, not 
 omitting the black-fly partisans, fishing the identical 
 water at the same time, that one of them would surpass 
 the others in the number of sea-trout to his credit, but 
 
NIGHT-FISHING REALIZATION lOI 
 
 though I have made daily inquiries of the owner of the 
 inn, the report was invariably to the effect that the 
 crowd averaged about one fish apiece, without any star 
 turns ; so I venture to think that we can safely allow 
 the black flies to take their turn in the queue. 
 
 Without in any way wishing to disparage the efforts 
 of the black-fly propagandists, I suggest that any anglers 
 of an inquiring turn of mind, instead of accepting the 
 doctrine of nocto-vision, would do much better if they 
 studied the habits of our moths. When you hear plop 
 after plop in the pools, you may make a shrewd guess 
 that the sea-trout are jumping for the big moths which 
 drop on the surface of the water. Oak and birch, beech 
 and sallow, ash and blackthorn, bramble and honey- 
 suckle, not forgetting the ivy festooned trunks, each 
 provides a haunt for one or more species of moths, and 
 if you can decide which kind of moth favours the trees 
 that abut on or overhang the pool of your preference, 
 I am of opinion that by selecting a passable imitation 
 of the insect you would mount an irresistible attraction. 
 
 Like many other fishers who harry the sea-trout, I 
 have an undeniable penchant for a particular fly, and 
 I regard it with unstinted respect. Possibly I, too, con- 
 sider my fancy to be without equal. This fly is not a 
 standard pattern, neither is it a remarkable one in 
 appearance. It is quite a simple one, devoid of any 
 garishness. It is well known in the district where it is 
 used, but whether its fame has travelled farther I know 
 not. If you saw it in a tackle-dealer's shop and you were 
 unacquainted with it, you would in all probabiUty merely 
 give it a superficial glance and purchase others that 
 exhibit a trifle more colour. 
 
 The grounds for my attachment to this fly are that,- 
 to my knowledge, the unobtrusive dressing has decoyed 
 thousands of fish : one angler alone on one river has. 
 
102 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 year after year, topped three figures by using it solely. 
 It has also demonstrated to me its reliability not only 
 on the water where it is customarily thrown, but on 
 rivers in the north, south, east and west. In fact it is 
 now as much a part of my sea-trout outfit as are my 
 rod and line, and the thought would never occur to me of 
 mounting another type of fly, for I have no qualms in 
 
 stating that if the fish will not 
 
 take this fly they will reject all 
 
 others. 
 
 It is of no value for day fishing, 
 
 being entirely a night fly, which 
 
 seems to suggest that the sea-trout 
 
 mistake it for a moth. 
 NIGHT FLY ^^ ^^^ ^^ prcscuts HO dlfficulty 
 
 in fashioning, you may be glad 
 of the details. The size of the hook is number 
 three, Redditch scale, and the dressing is composed 
 of silver body, ginger hackle and teal wing. I 
 have tried a dressing with a gilt body instead of 
 the silver one, but the response has been poor in 
 comparison. Although to me the difference in the glint 
 of the body is insignificant, the sea-trout evidently have 
 other ideas. 
 
 Upon reaching your pool, commence at the tail 
 end, but before throwing a fly see that your landing 
 net is in a position where you can handle it immedi- 
 ately. As I use a collapsible net, I open it and 
 place it in front of me, or in the water, if my side of the 
 river is shallow. 
 
 The first cast should take the fly straight across the 
 water to the far bank. In retrieving the line do so 
 somewhat more sharply than you would in fishing for 
 brown trout, but not so quickly as when spinning a 
 minnow. An almost imperceptible jerky motion is 
 
NIGHT-FISHING REALIZATION IO3 
 
 advisable, as these minute impulses impart a lifelike 
 action to the fly. Coil the recovered line in your left 
 hand in readiness for the next cast. By giving your 
 undivided attention to the feel of the line as you draw 
 in the line you know in a trice if the fly is mouthed, and 
 this preparedness to tighten the line at the same instant 
 as the fly is taken makes you master of the situation 
 from the outset. 
 
 Do not flog the water with rapid successive throws, 
 but give yourself a breathing space between each cast. 
 Too much energy will tire you, and, what is more, will 
 frighten any hesitant fish that has not made up its mind 
 concerning the tempting moth. 
 
 If after several attempts your net has not done service, 
 do not be in a hurry to change your position, but, without 
 moving, pull off a couple of yards more hne and drop 
 your fly downstream about half a dozen yards from 
 where you have been placing the lure. Give this spot a 
 few leisurely casts. If you are still denied, turn your 
 face upstream and cast in a similar manner about the 
 same distance from your original mark. With again 
 no score on the board you can credit yourself with having 
 worked that small area of water methodically and well. 
 Hence the necessity arises for seeking a fresh lie. A 
 move of a dozen yards upstream should be ample, but 
 in progressing go quietly and keep away from the water. 
 Heavy walking on the edge of the bank is a serious mis- 
 take at any time, but at night, as sound is then accentu- 
 ated, the error is intensified. 
 
 Having made a short detour and selected a convenient 
 stance, repeat your previous operations by casting first 
 in a straight direction, then downstream and finally 
 upstream. Should the result be negative, you must 
 continue in progressive stages until you have reached 
 the head of the pool. If by that time your bag is empty. 
 
104 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 you must console yourself with the thought that the 
 sea-trout have run farther upstream ; not a very satisfy- 
 ing deduction, I admit, but if on every occasion that you 
 went fishing for sea-trout you hauled out the fish without 
 limitation, you would soon come to the conclusion that 
 angling is not much of a sport. Believe me, the fascina- 
 tion of the pastime rests in its uncertainty. When you 
 realise that you have to pit your initiative and imagina- 
 tion against the wiles of a cute but worthy opponent, 
 you will appreciate to the full the value of ultimate 
 success. 
 
 If time permits and you have the option of other 
 pools, you can wander on buoyed with an angler's un- 
 appeasable hope. Should you eventually return empty 
 handed, do not be unduly disappointed, as there are 
 nights when the sea-trout seem to suffer from labour 
 troubles and go on strike. 
 
 One year, when I was in the habit of taking my aire- 
 dales for a last run at night, I made a point of walking 
 to a bridge which crosses a perfect pool for sea-trout. 
 My arrival at that bridge was regularly at about ten 
 o'clock, and I made a custom of scrutinizing the water 
 on every visit. When the moon was shining brightly 
 I never saw a fish turn and the pool appeared to be dead. 
 When the nights were dark, or the blackness was relieved 
 by a faint light from the stars, the plops were numerous 
 and continuous. If a very fine rain was falling, no 
 slackening in the jumps was noticeable, but on nights 
 when heavy rain hissed on the water, there was ostensibly 
 nothing doing. When the air was balmy during a dark 
 night movement in the pool reached its maximum, but 
 when a chilliness in the atmosphere suggested that a 
 buttoned jacket would be a wise precaution, the plops 
 were infrequent. If a thick white mist obscured the 
 water I heard not a sound. 
 
STRIKING AND PLAYING IO5 
 
 As far as I could ascertain, most of the splashing 
 came from under a fringe of low, spreading alders. 
 
 From this unscientific study I inferred that an agree- 
 able night to moths was an admirable one for sea-trout 
 fishing. Whether my surmise was right or wrong I have 
 been unable to determine, but I regard the finding as 
 a safe barometer for my guidance in night fishing, and 
 the results have justified my faith. 
 
 If you should be influenced to follow my example, 
 I trust that you will not be misled. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 STRIKING AND PLAYING 
 
 I HAVE heard a great deal of theoretical talk on how 
 to strike a sea-trout when a fly is the lure in day- 
 time, but as I am a practical fisher the arguments set 
 forth have left me cold and unimpressed. Whether the 
 speakers have had more experience of the fat lethargic 
 brown trout of the chalk streams than of the sea-trout 
 has not been disclosed. 
 
 To recommend a count of one, two, three before driving 
 the barb into the jaw of a sea-trout is, to my mind, an 
 extremely fallacious proposition. I may be an exception, 
 but I have never known a sea-trout to take a fly in a 
 half-hearted manner. Either the fish rises, sees that the 
 fly is an utter, fraud and turns over on its way back to 
 the sheltered depth, or it snaps at the fly in a vicious 
 fashion. True, the fish sometimes, in its unseemly haste, 
 merely manages to make contact with the tip of the 
 feather and then disappears as quickly as it came. It 
 
I06 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 certainly does not suck the fly to ascertain if the dressing 
 is palatable. 
 
 When a sea-trout rises and accepts the fly the angler's 
 only sound course is to strike in a split second. That is 
 my considered opinion, based on years of acquaintance 
 with the fish. By striking I do not mean a sudden 
 upheaval of rod and tackle. All that is necessary is a 
 quick turn of the wrist, so as to send the barb properly 
 home. I am assuming, of course, that the rodster is 
 controlling his line correctly, without allowing any slack. 
 
 Naturally, we do not all think aUke, and while I have 
 pricked many a fish in my time, I do not plead guilty 
 to having lost one by giving it an opportunity of changing 
 its mind. I firmly believe that if every angler on feeling 
 a pluck tightened the fine at once the number of lost fish 
 would be considerably diminished. 
 
 At night there is no question of giving a second's 
 respite to a taking sea-trout. The strike is made instan- 
 taneously and the fish is truly hooked. That a different 
 code should be advocated for day fishing rather bewilders me . 
 I am beginning to wonder whether the better catches which 
 are made at night are due to the promptitude in striking. 
 
 Too much prominence is, I suggest, given to this 
 striking business. The supposable problem can be solved 
 easily by remembering the obvious fact that the barb 
 must penetrate the sea-trout's jaw. A lightning turn 
 of the wrist, whether by day or by night, will accomplish 
 this deed, providing the strike is made immediately that 
 the pluck is felt. 
 
 When using a metal minnow the same urgency is 
 applicable, and the strike rriust be crisp and unhesitating. 
 Even so, I have known cases where the angler has come 
 off second best owing to the fish being a trifle too swift. 
 
 Having hooked the fish, the next item on the programme 
 is to arrange for its safe conduct to the net. The 
 
STRIKING AND PLAYING IO7 
 
 technique for night fishing differs a Uttle from that which 
 is in order for day work. At night, after seeing a silvery 
 flash when the sea-trout jumps, you are at a loss, in the 
 dark, to know exactly the intentions of the fish, and 
 therefore you cannot afford to give the fish its head. 
 At all costs you must keep the fish under control, and 
 the breaking strain of your gear is your sole guide. 
 Apply as much pressure as your tackle will allow, and 
 bring the fish to the net as fast as you can. On account 
 of this harsher discipUne I suggested in a previous chapter 
 a slightly heavier gut cast for night fishing. 
 
 A man with whom I am acquainted will in no circum- 
 stance use fine tackle for sea-trout at night, and he 
 always mounts a salmon cast. He has astonished me 
 again and again by catching small as well as big fish 
 when throwing the thick gut, but he is an adept in 
 dropping the fly artistically on the water. 
 
 For playing a sea-trout during day-time a theory is 
 also prescribed, and this is to work in accordance with 
 a time constant. One minute per poimd weight is the 
 rule laid down. I often speculate as to what kind of 
 person this genius can be who starts these hares. I 
 have fished for more years than I care to remember, 
 and I have fished with some of the best rods in the 
 country, but I have yet to meet the angler who follows 
 such a hide-bound policy of estimating the weight of 
 the fish which is hooked, be it salmon or sea-trout, and 
 then counting minutes. Think of the various gauges of 
 gut casts which are used, give a thought to the classes 
 of rods employed, picture for a few seconds fast water 
 and slack, and remember the relative fighting propensities 
 of a fresh-run fish and a stale one, then try and figure 
 out the precise meaning of the time constant. Why, 
 I have had to exercise far more pains with a Uttle rascal 
 of two pounds than with a six-pounder. 
 
I08 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 Take my advice and do not be a foot-beagle, nor go 
 to the expense of buying a stop-watch, but persuade 
 your fish to come to your net as speedily as possible. 
 
 When hooked, a sea-trout does not behave in conformity 
 with any set regulations. It is a law unto itself. It 
 may jump once, then squirm and bolt ; it may jump 
 two or three times before dashing away in the hopes of 
 gaining liberty, or, without giving you a sight of its 
 sheen, it may dive into deep water. There really is no 
 knowing what to expect, and you have to be ready for 
 any emergency. Therefore try to keep a tight line and 
 endeavour to tire the fish. If it decides on a long run 
 you must, out of consideration for your tackle, humour 
 the contestant to some degree, but apply the brake as 
 soon as you can, not forgetting throughout the fight 
 that, from your standpoint, the decisive moment will 
 arrive only when the fish is securely netted. 
 
 During the past season I was concerned in a somewhat 
 unique incident. I was covering a pool which usually 
 contains a nice fish or two, and I was not surprised 
 when I turned a beauty. I saw enough of it in that short 
 time to judge its weight to be anything from eight to 
 ten pounds. Although I put over several more casts, 
 the fish did not reappear, and for further attention I 
 made a mental note of the spot. 
 
 On the following afternoon a friend and I were working 
 the river, and on coming to the pool I mentioned to my 
 friend the previous day's happening. I suggested to 
 him that he should have a throw, but he demurred, as 
 he said that the fish was mine. Eventually I prevailed 
 upon him to see whether his fly was more to the liking 
 of the fish than mine had been. By means of some 
 vegetation on the far bank I indicated where the fish had 
 been lying, and my friend placed his fly correctly. Im- 
 mediately there was a beautiful swirl, and my friend 
 
STRIKING AND PLAYING I09 
 
 shouted, " Got it." At the same time he walked rapidly 
 backwards, and gathered yards of slack by pulling in 
 the line irrespective of the reel. " I was afraid that 
 would happen. It shot straight towards me, and it has 
 buried itself in that mass of weed," said my friend. The 
 weed was about four yards distant from our bank. 
 
 Every trick in an angler's magic-box was produced, 
 but the fish was obdurate. To lose such a big fish was 
 unthinkable, so, knowing that the hedgers were busy 
 not far away, I said that I would fetch a long branch. 
 Selecting an ash pole of some fifteen feet in length with 
 a twiggy top, I was quickly at the side of the pool, and 
 slipping down the bank, I commenced disturbing the 
 weed behind the fish. Suddenly my friend shouted, 
 *' It's out." I saw the line shoot across the water, then 
 upstream, but, alas ! it came back, curling significantly. 
 The fish had vanished, and with it the fly. Upon ex- 
 amining the broken cast, we noticed that, about an 
 inch from where the fly had been attached, the gut was 
 frayed, but we were unable to determine whether the 
 fracture was due to friction against a rock or to persistent 
 nibbling of the fish. 
 
 A fresh-run sea-trout is endowed with a superfluity 
 of guile, and the angler who can vanquish a hefty specimen 
 is to be congratulated. 
 
 The worst phase with which any rodster has to contend 
 is when a fish darts in his direction. For the time being 
 the fish is quite out of control, and the bare hope then 
 is for the fish to swerve either upstream or down. 
 
 When sea-fishing from the shore my greatest mis- 
 fortunes have arisen when the hooked ones have made 
 straight for me. At such a time the speed of a travelling 
 bass is amazing, and there is ever present the risk of a 
 disconnection ; so when dealing with a sea-trout dis- 
 abuse your mind of time constants. 
 
no CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 Having struck and played your fish, there is yet one 
 more highly important detail which demands unfailing 
 heed, and that is a merciful and prompt despatch of the 
 victim. Some anglers are so thoughtless that I offer no 
 excuse for referring to this understandable necessity. Do 
 not allow a fish to gasp and expire on the river bank, 
 but give it a crack with a stick across its neck. A smart 
 blow delivered in the right place, even with a small stick, 
 will perform the deed expeditiously. 
 
 A short while ago I was intent on extracting a fly 
 from a fair-sized sea-trout which I had killed with the 
 aid of a boxwood ruler, when I was interrupted by a 
 voice, '* Shouldn't 'ave thort 'er wude 'ave snuffed 'er." 
 Looking up I saw old Bill fingering my ruler. I must 
 explain that William, affectionately described by all and 
 sundry as old Bill, is a confirmed poacher. Birds and 
 fish are all the same to him, and he cannot keep his 
 hands off them. He does not spoil for gain, as he places 
 far less value on money than he does on snaring the wild ; 
 while a bird or a bit of " red hake *' often finds its way 
 gratuitously into a home of the needy. Old Bill is not 
 a throw-back, as his proclivity is bred in the bone, for 
 his father was a notorious poacher. Not infrequently 
 William's father had to appear before the bench to answer 
 a charge of having unlawfully taken a salmon, but the 
 old man was never perturbed by these proceedings. When 
 the case was completed and a fine announced, the old 
 man would invariably say *' Thank 'ee, gentlmun. 'Er 
 came owt o' river,*' referring to the salmon, and he would 
 add in all seriousness regarding the fine, * An' 'er 'uU 
 come owt o' river tu." 
 
 So far old Bill has escaped the unpleasant notice of 
 the keepers, both fish and game, but perhaps he is more 
 covert in his actions than was his father. He is usually 
 on the river bank, and he knows the lies of most fish. 
 
STRIKING AND PLAYING III 
 
 One day, late in August, he beckoned me, and on joining 
 him he said, *' See 'er, ole sow spawning, and thair be 
 killer o'er thair. Never know'd um so early bevore." 
 Old Bill did not need glasses to distinguish the hen and 
 cock fish, though some minutes elapsed before I could 
 detect the cock fish waiting in the dark shade of the 
 bank-side bushes. 
 
 Old Bill handed the ruler to me and said, " Purty small 
 fer tu kill that 'un. Us alius uses aller sticks wen us 
 goes clatting fer eels. Fine sticks, allers be. Give um 
 a clout on 'ead and snuffs um in a jiffy." 
 
 " Aller sticks ? " I queried. 
 
 " Yus, um as grows on this 'ere bush. Us alius calls 
 um aller sticks," replied old Bill, pointing to an alder 
 bush. 
 
 I do not know the efficacy of an alder stick. Some 
 day, perhaps, I will give a trial to this kind of weapon, 
 but meanwhile I can unreservedly recommend a boxwood 
 ruler. 
 
 Before concluding this chapter I should like to make a 
 strong appeal to anglers generally to support their sport. 
 Unfortunately there are innumerable men who go fishing 
 year after year and who never give a thought to the 
 necessity of safeguarding their interests. This neglect 
 is not only detrimental to themselves, but is scarcely fair 
 to those who are striving to protect the game. If every- 
 body failed in what is really a duty, angling would reach 
 a sorry pass. When you remember that, within the 
 lifetime of the present generation, many rivers have 
 become dead owing to pollution and that others are 
 rapidly approaching that horrid stage, you will com- 
 prehend the pressing need for action. To catch fish is 
 a most enjoyable recreation, but we have to see that the 
 stock is maintained and if possible replenished. This 
 desirability can be attained solely by every angler being 
 
113 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 an active or a passive watchman. We cannot all be 
 direct guardians of our glorious heritage, but everyone 
 can do his share indirectly. Throughout the country 
 there are clubs which cater for every class of angler, and 
 these clubs keep ever watchful eyes on the waters which 
 come within their jurisdiction. Then there are the 
 angling journals, which are always ready to promote the 
 aims of the wielders of the rod, and to give publicity to 
 cases of pollution. Therefore, the least that every fisher 
 can do is to either join a club or to subscribe to a fishing 
 periodical. 
 
 Recently, when a friend and I were spending an angling 
 hoUday together we talked a lot of " shop," and in course 
 of conversation I asked my friend whether he belonged 
 to a certain fishing association in his district. He repUed 
 in the negative, but added that his father when he was 
 alive had been a member of the club for many years. 
 In referring to a debatable article in a current fishing 
 pubHcation I inquired whether my friend had noticed it. 
 He said that he did not take the paper, although his 
 father had subscribed to it. I could not help asking my 
 friend if he realized that to no small degree he had to 
 thank his father for the sport which he now enjoys, and 
 as a corollary I asked him what he was doing for his son 
 who is a very keen angler. My friend smiled and 
 answered that he had never looked at the subject in that 
 hght. This, you will probably agree, is a strange example 
 of regrettable forgetfulness. 
 
 I am sure that in the majority of instances the lack of 
 rightful support for our national sport is due to thought- 
 lessness, and, without further labouring the point, I hope 
 that this timely reminder will bear fruit. 
 
KNOTS AND KNACKS II3 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 KNOTS AND KNACKS 
 
 AN angler once appealed to me to explain why his gut 
 casts always split in the top of the loop where he 
 attached his line. He produced several casts and on 
 examining them I noticed in each an ominous crack at 
 the place denoted. As the casts were composed of silk- 
 worm gut, I not unnaturally inferred that they had not 
 been properly soaked before being used, but the aggrieved 
 inquirer assured me that he never failed to take this 
 elementary precaution. Thinking that probably the 
 casts were obtained from old stock I subjected them to 
 the usual tests and found them to be perfectly sound. 
 I could offer no valid reason why good casts should crack 
 in this manner and, as a last resource, I asked to see the 
 knot which the angler was in the habit of tying. When 
 the rod and line were handed to me I was astonished to 
 observe that a fisherman of evidently long standing 
 should employ such a crude means of attaching his line 
 to the cast. At the end of the line was a simple knot, 
 and when the connection to the gut loop was made, 
 another simple knot was tied. I inquired why such a 
 makeshift knot was used. The reply was to the effect 
 that it was easy and would not shp. I pointed out that 
 this knot was the cause of all the trouble, as round the 
 gut of the cast's loop there was only one turn of the line* 
 I explained that the strain on the loop was therefore 
 severe in this particular place, and that eventually the 
 thin line would cut through the gut. 
 
 I showed to the careless angler how a " figure of eight " 
 knot could be tied, and demonstrated to him that this 
 H 
 
114 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 knot would not slip. I also drew his attention to the 
 fact that, with this attachment, the strain on the loop 
 was evenly distributed. 
 
 Although most anglers have their pet theories for 
 tying knots, there are certain standard forms of knots 
 
 FIGURE OF EIGHT 
 
 which will respectively serve most purposes. These 
 knots which need no skill in tying should be included in 
 the curriculum of every angler. If your memory cannot 
 always be reUed upon, make a rough drawing of the 
 knots on a postcard which, for ready reference, should be 
 carried in the fishing bag. 
 
 When experimenting with new knots, or when in- 
 structing a novice in knot tying, I resort to pieces of 
 string, or an ordinary door key and a piece of string. 
 
 ' COMMON BEND " KNOT 
 
 With these large scale implements the manipulation of a 
 knot can be more easily followed than when the finger 
 and thumb obscure a small hook and fine gut. 
 
 For attaching the fine to a cast I prefer the '' figure of 
 
KNOTS AND KNACKS II5 
 
 eight '' knot, as it is trusty and can be untied without 
 difficulty. There is, however, another knot suitable for 
 this purpose and that, in sea-fishing, is called the '' com- 
 mon bend," I invariably use it when fishing from the 
 shore as it can be tied quickly and is quite reliable, but 
 I do not care about the extra knot on the end of the line 
 when throwing a fly on fresh water : that is merely a 
 personal fad. 
 
 There are several excellent methods of tying the tail 
 fly to a cast, but I think that the *' half-hitch '' knot is 
 sufiiciently satisfactory to be described as being first- 
 class. When using gut substitute do not on any account 
 forget that knots in this article are Uable to slip. 
 
 HALF-HITCH 
 
 If I am reduced to a gut substitute cast, I pass the gut 
 through the eye of the hook and then, at the extreme end 
 of the cast, I tie a simple knot very securely. Next I tie 
 the '' half -hitch '' knot as close as possible to the first 
 knot. This device prevents the " half -hitch " knot 
 from slipping. For very small flies I am not altogether 
 partial to the extra knot, but better a suspicion of clumsi- 
 ness than a lost fish. With the larger fly used for sea- 
 trout, the additional knot is not so much in evidence. 
 
 Should you wish to mount a " dropper," the necessary 
 point can be attached to the cast by first tying a simple 
 knot tightly and then tying another similar knot. See 
 that you effect the attachment immediately above a joint 
 
ii6 
 
 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 in the cast, so as to obviate the point carrying the 
 " dropper " from sHpping down the cast. 
 
 If the necessity arises for joining two pieces of gut or 
 for repairing a broken Une, the *' Fisherman's '* knot is 
 at your service. If the gut is of different thicknesses or 
 
 DROPPER KNOT 
 
 even if the gut is very thin there is a grave risk of the 
 knot shpping, so either thread each end of the gut through 
 its respective knot a second time, or tie a simple knot 
 tightly at the end of each piece of gut before starting to 
 tie the *' Fisherman's *' knot. 
 
 FISHERMAN 
 
 Although I have given trials to scores of knots, good, 
 bad and indifferent judged from various aspects, the ones 
 which I have enumerated suffice me for all occasions. 
 
KNOTS AND KNACKS II7 
 
 As a note of warning I counsel you to test every knot 
 which you tie before bringing it into use. A steady and 
 sustained pull for a minute or so is generally enough to 
 disclose any defect. 
 
 Some anglers are exceptionally deft with their hands, 
 and can construct all kinds of fishing utilities. Here is, 
 however, a gadget which every sea-troutman, without 
 any special skill, can fashion, and it is one which, 
 while offering a monetary benefit, will lead, I think, 
 to better catches. I refer to a core for carrying a metal 
 minnow. 
 
 I will endeavour to smooth the way by detailing and 
 explaining the process. The materials required are 
 treble hooks, swivels and single steel rust-proofed wire. 
 The only tools needed are supple fingers. 
 
 The size of the treble should be number two, Redditch 
 scale, and, as we shall dispense with beads, the eye must 
 be round and fairly large so as to prevent the minnow 
 slipping into the bend of the hooks. Further, the round 
 eye enables the minnow to spin easily. The swivels 
 should be rust-proof best steel, box pattern and should 
 be half an inch in length. I find that fine gauge wire, 
 with an approximate breaking strain of twenty-five 
 pounds, answers admirably. 
 
 Now take a piece of the wire about a foot in length, and 
 double it. Thread the ends through the eye of the treble, 
 but in so doing, pass one end over and through the eye, 
 and pass the other end under and through the eye. Pull 
 the ends until the looped end is near the treble. Now 
 give the looped end one complete turn. Let the looped 
 end pass over one hook in the treble. Next pull the ends 
 until the looped end is tightly fixed between the hooks 
 and hard against the shank. 
 
 Thread the ends through the eye of a swivel, passing 
 one end over and through the eye and the other end 
 
Il8 
 
 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 under and through the eye. Allow a length of one aiid a 
 half inches between the eye of the treble and the eye of 
 the swivel. Bend both the wires neatly over the eye of 
 
 FIG. I. MAKING THE CORE 
 
 the swivel, and bring the ends to the eye of the treble, 
 passing one end over and through the eye, and the other 
 end under and through the eye. Pull the ends firmly, 
 and you now have four strands of wire close together 
 between the treble and the swivel. 
 
 Bend the ends back over the eye of the treble. Now 
 cut one end about an inch from the treble. Next hold 
 
 FIG. 2. CORE COMPLETED 
 
 the other end rigidly, and twist the treble round and 
 round as many times as possible. This action will cause 
 the held end to form complete turns round the four 
 strands. When the turns have reached the swivel cut 
 the end close to the swivel, and see that this end lies 
 
KNOTS AND KNACKS II9 
 
 snugly between two of the strands. That completes the 
 core for the minnow. 
 
 Next take a length of the wire of about three feet. 
 Attach one end to the eye of the swivel. This con- 
 nection can be made by passing the wire through the eye 
 giving the wire a tight bend and allowing a length of about 
 three inches to bind round and round the long length, 
 in a spiral manner. At the other end of the long length 
 of wire, attach another swivel in a similar way. This 
 will give a trace of roughly two feet six inches in length. 
 
 The boring in the minnow must be large enough for 
 the swivels to pass through it. Now pass the trace 
 
 2l ^ ^■ H^v »» 'T b %( »^ w ^^' ^ Q][iotjp]^^ 
 
 CORE AND TRACE 
 
 through the minnow which, of course, is the slotless type, 
 and the job is complete. 
 
 After a little practice the core and trace can be 
 fashioned in a few minutes ; in less time than I have 
 occupied in delineating it, but I have taken the con- 
 struction stage by stage, so that you can follow the 
 directions without difficulty. The details, which may 
 seem to be insignificant, are really most important, as an 
 incorrect winding will defeat the obJQct. 
 
 With a short trace as suggested, complete control can 
 
120 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 be exercised when casting. If the trace is long, say of 
 five feet, there is an absence of control owing to the 
 swing. This fault is most marked when casting in 
 awkward and tree grown places. With this specially 
 constructed core and trace, the minnow spins sweetly, 
 and you can watch it spin as it travels through the air 
 when being cast. 
 
 When I mentioned, at the commencement of this 
 description, that the lure would lead to better catches, 
 I did so designedly as, to my knowledge, this home-made 
 form of spinner has accounted for thousands of salmon 
 and sea-trout. In fact, it is used to-day by several of 
 our best exponents of the art of spinning, and I am 
 confident that, if you give it a fair trial, you will be as 
 satisfied with it as I am. 
 
 During the war years the opportunity of obtaining a 
 tapered waterproof silk line quickly became more and 
 more remote, but, apart from the years of difficulty, an 
 excellent substitute has always been available and that 
 is an undressed plaited silk line. I have met numerous 
 anglers who would have liked to have used this type of 
 line, but they have not been sure what dressing to apply 
 or how to proceed. 
 
 Here then is an efficient way of curing the line. If 
 possible, procure some deer fat as that constitutes a 
 perfect dressing. Failing that, use mutton fat, but this 
 must contain no salt. Liquefy the fat by making it hot. 
 Obtain a glass jam pot, size two pounds, and heat this 
 so as to keep the fat warm as long as required. Pour 
 sufficient fat into the jam pot until a level approximating 
 two thirds is reached. But' before heating the fat make 
 the following preparations : take the top joint of a rod, 
 and thread the end of the line through the end ring and 
 the next ring. Secure the end of the line to the reel 
 which you use when fishing. 
 
KNOTS AND KNACKS 
 
 121 
 
 Now drop the drum of line or the coil of line into the 
 hot fat and leave it there for several minutes. Place 
 perpendicularly the rod top in the jam pot, and, if pos- 
 sible, prevail upon somebody to hold the rod joint in 
 
 ROD TOP 
 
 REEL 
 
 HOW TO DRESS A LINE 
 
 this position. Next wind the line slowly on the reel. 
 By this time the line will have absorbed enough of the 
 fat. 
 
 When all the line is wound on the reel, leave the fatted 
 line to cool thoroughly. Later, or on the following day, 
 you will notice that the line on the reel is encased in 
 hard fat : that is an advantage. When you go fishing, 
 simply draw the line off the reel in the usual manner and 
 the fat will grease the rings of your rod, and the line will 
 thus run smoothly. 
 
122 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 As a spot of fat will go a long way, you will be well 
 advised when operating, to place some newspapers under 
 the jam pot containing the hot fat, so as to avoid any 
 adverse domestic comments. 
 
 A friend of mine, a well-known salmon fisher, has used 
 this kind of greased line for many years, and he prefers 
 it to a tapered waterproof silk line. He says that a line 
 so treated, and with a breaking strain of sixteen pounds, 
 will hold any salmon, and he should know as he con- 
 siders a season to be poor if he does not connect with a 
 fish or two of thirty pounds. 
 
 And so we come to the end of " Catching the Wily Sea- 
 trout," but before finishing the book, I should like to 
 pay a tribute to angling. Should this work fall into the 
 hands of a non-angler I trust that, if he is not sufficiently 
 tempted to embark on the great adventure, he will, 
 by precept, influence others to follow the advice of 
 General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the 
 AUied Forces for the liberation of Europe, who said 
 to the British and American war correspondents on 
 17th January, 1944, *' I take it you are just as 
 anxious as I am to win this war and get it done so 
 we can all go fishing.'' A grand sentiment expressed 
 characteristically. 
 
 Some years ago, one of the chief officials of a Govern- 
 ment office was fishing with me, and he told me that in 
 his Department the average remaining life of a man, 
 on being superannuated at the age of sixty, was only 
 three years. As all the men who enter the Civil Service 
 are what are termed, selected lives ; that is they have to 
 pass a medical examination before appointment, I was 
 more than surprised by his statement. I have no means 
 of verifying the information, still I have no reason for 
 doubting it. But, think of it ; three bare years of free- 
 dom. Yet I can fully understand that a man, who, year 
 
KNOTS AND KNACKS I23 
 
 in year out, for forty years or more, has lived under 
 official restraint, may crack when the halter is removed, 
 if he has no outside hobby or pursuit with which to 
 occupy his mind. 
 
 Sport is a splendid antidote for the ills of man, but, as 
 creeping age extends its icy grip, the spirit may be 
 wiUing though the flesh is weak. I write knowingly as I 
 have experienced the cramping tendency of passing 
 years. At forty I was still good for rugger, at fifty I 
 played my last game of cricket on the Trent Bridge 
 ground at Nottingham. Sixty told me that tennis is a 
 trifle too hot, and at seventy I found a round of golf 
 somewhat fatiguing. Now, having passed the allotted 
 span, I have returned more seriously to my first and ever 
 abiding love of angUng. Yes, and now when I take the 
 rod in hand and see the glint of the flowing river, the 
 same kind of thrill that coursed through my veins 
 those many years back, still urges me to throw a 
 natty fly. That I am not alone in this wondrous feel- 
 ing is borne out by the voiced opinions of my aged 
 fishing friends. 
 
 One esteemed comrade in arms, who is on the brink of 
 four score years, rises at five o'clock on many mornings 
 during the winter months, makes a long journey by rail, 
 and tramps over the soggy and gloom-shrouded meads 
 for the purpose of sitting on the river-bank in the hope 
 of catching a specimen red-fin or a weighty chub. When 
 he returns home late in the evening, with glowing tales 
 of otter and fox, teal and pheasant, and not infrequently 
 with an empty creel, he always says that he has spent a 
 glorious day : such is angling. 
 
 If, therefore, these men of the Civil Service, who die 
 young, had but spent a pound or two on rod and tackle, 
 they would, I venture to think, not only have Uved to a 
 riper age, but they probably would have been enamoured 
 
124 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 
 
 with the idea of catching the wily sea-trout, while in one 
 way they would have benefited by, in the words of Milton, 
 " the helpful experiences of hunters, fowlers and 
 fishermen." 
 
 THE END 
 
INDEX 
 
 Aln River, 25 
 Angling, 13 
 Angling Clubs, 112 
 Angling periodicals, 13, 112 
 Antrim rivers, 10, 25 
 Artificial baits, 
 
 " Colorado " spoon, 44 
 
 Devon minnows, 42 
 
 Fly spinner, 41, 74 
 
 Metal minnows, 34 et seq., 39, 
 42 et seq., iiy et seq. 
 
 Spoon baits, 44 
 Artificial flies, 40 et seq., 66 et seq., 
 
 100 et seq. 
 Artificial gut, 31 
 Arun river, 25 
 
 Backing, 30 
 
 Bait- 
 Maggots, 52 
 Minnow, 42, 52 
 Prawns, 49, 52 
 Wasp grubs, 52 
 Worms, 52 
 
 Bait fishing, 49 et seq, 
 
 Bakelite reel, 30 
 
 Balance, 39 
 
 Bass, 9, 36, 96, 109 
 
 Belfast rivers, 25 
 
 Box swivels, 35, 117 
 
 Brass reel, 30 
 
 Breaking strain, 107, 117, 122 
 
 Bridgett, 12 
 
 Bronzed aluminium reel, 30 
 
 Bronzed brass reel, 30 
 
 Brown trout, 40 
 
 Casting, 70 et seq., 76 et. seq., 93 
 
 et seq., 102 et seq. 
 Casts, 
 
 Lengths, 31, 35, 50 
 
 Casts, how to test, 31 
 
 Chub, 123 
 
 Climatic conditions, 26, 96 et seq>^ 
 
 104 
 Clubs, 112 
 
 " Collodion flexible, '* 69 
 " Colorado " spoon, 44 
 " Common bend " knot, 115 
 Connemara waters, 12, 25 
 Cumberland, Derwent River, 25 
 
 Damping boxes, 39 
 
 Dart River, 25 
 
 Deer fat, 120 
 
 Derry Rivers, 10 
 
 Derwent River, Cumberland, 25 
 
 Devon Minnows, 42 
 
 Devonshire rivers, 11, 25 
 
 Double-tapered lines, 30 
 
 Drag, 72 
 
 Dressing flies, 68 et seq., 102 
 
 Dressing for line, 34, 46, 120 
 
 Dropper knot, 115 
 
 Droppers, 71 
 
 Dry-fly fishing, 66 
 
 E 
 
 Eels, 50 
 
 Eisenhower, General, 122 
 
 Esk river, 25 
 
 " Field,' " Where to fish," 21 
 "Figure-of-eight" knot, 113 et 
 
 seq. 
 File, 46 
 Finnock, 23 
 
 " Fisherman's" knot, 116 
 Fishing-bags, 38 
 
 125 
 
126 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Fishing Gazette, 13 
 
 Fishing in lakes, 12, 70, 72 
 
 Fixed check reel, 29 
 
 Fixed spool reels, 35 
 
 Flash-lamp, 92 
 
 " Flexible collodion," 69 
 
 Flies, 40 et seq,, 66 et seq., lOO et 
 
 seq. 
 Floats, 50 
 Float tackle, 50, 52 
 Fly-books, 39 
 Fly-boxes, 39 
 
 Fly-dressing, 68 et seq., 102 
 Fly fishing, 28 et seq. 
 Fly-rods, 2S et seq. 
 Fly spinner, 41, 74 
 
 G. Herbert NaU, 13 
 
 Gaffs, 38, 49 
 
 General Eisenhower, 122 
 
 Greenheart, rods 33 
 
 Grey mullet, 59 
 
 Grilse, 28 
 
 Gunmetal reel, 30 
 
 Gut- 
 Artificial, 31 
 Silkworm, 31 
 Substitute, 31 
 Synthetic, 31 
 
 Gut bottoms, 50, §2 
 
 Gut casts, 31, 35 
 Lengths, 31, 35, 50 
 
 Gut soaking, 32 
 
 Gut substitute, 31 
 
 H 
 
 Hamish Stuart, 12 
 
 Half-hitch knot, 115 
 
 Henry Lamond, 13 
 
 Herling, 23 
 
 Hooks, 
 
 " New " Scale, 40, 68 
 Redditch Scale, 40, 68, 117 
 
 Hotel waters, 21, 77 
 
 How to dress " undressed " silk 
 line, 120 
 
 How to make trace, iiy et seq. 
 
 How to test casts, 31 
 
 Immature fish, 19 
 Izaak Walton, 75 
 
 K 
 
 Kelts, 14, 50 
 Kerry county, 12 
 Knots, 113 5^ seq. 
 Knots, slipping, 115 
 
 Lakes, fishing in, 12, 70, 72 
 
 Lamond, Henry, 13 
 
 Lancashire rivers, 10, n 
 
 Landing nets, 38, 92 
 
 Ledgering, 52 
 
 Lengths of lines, 30, 34, 35 
 
 Licences, 49 
 
 Life history of sea- trout, i^ et seq* 
 
 Line backing, 30 
 
 Line dressing, 34, 46, 120 
 
 Line dryers, 30, 39 
 
 ** Lineflote," 46 
 
 Line-guard reels, 29 
 
 Lines — 
 
 Double-tapered, 30 
 
 Lengths, 30, 34, 35 
 
 Level, 30, 34 
 
 Tapered, 30 
 
 Waterproof, 34 
 Live baiting, 52 
 Loch Lomond, 12, 25 
 Lune River, 10, 11, 25 
 
 M 
 
 Maggots, 52 
 
 Metal minnows, 34 et seq., 39, 42 
 
 et seq., 117 et seq. 
 Migratory trout, 9, 49 
 Milt, 13 
 Milton, 124 
 Minnow, 42, 52 
 Moths, loi 
 Mourne River, 12, 25 
 Mutton fat, 120 
 
INDEX 
 
 127 
 
 N 
 
 Nail, G. Herbert, 13 
 Nets, landing, 38, 92 
 Ness River, 25 
 " New " scale hooks, 40, 68 
 Nocto- vision, 100 
 
 Optional check reel, 29 
 
 Parr, 19 
 
 Peal, 23 
 
 Playing, 106 et seq. 
 
 Poaching, 48, 58 
 
 Pollack, 14 
 
 Pollack fly, 68 et seq. . 
 
 Pollution, 19 et seq,, 112 
 
 Prawns, 49, 52 
 
 R 
 
 Redditch scale hooks, 40, 68, 117 
 Redds, 13 
 Reel-bags, 45 
 Reels — 
 
 Bakelite, 30 
 
 Brass, 30 
 
 Bronzed aluminium, 30 
 
 Bronzed brass, 30 
 
 Fixed check, 29 
 
 Fixed spool, 35 
 
 Gunmetal, 30 
 
 Optional check, 29 
 
 Spinning, 34 et seq. 
 
 Stationary drum, 35 
 Reels, sizes of, 29, 34 
 Reels with line guards, 29 
 Rheidol River, 11, 26 
 Rod cases, 47 
 
 Rod lengths, 28 et seq., 32 et seq. 
 Rods — 
 
 Fly-, 28 et seq. 
 
 Greenheart, 33 
 
 Spht cane, 29, 33 
 
 Spinning, 32 et seq. 
 
 Salmon, 9 et seq., 40, 81 et seq. 
 
 Salmon-peal, 23 
 
 Salmon- trout, 23 
 
 Scissors, 47 
 
 Scurf, 23 
 
 Season for sea- trout, 10 et seq. 
 
 Sea-trout — 
 
 Flies, 40 et seq., 66 et seq., 100 et 
 seq. 
 
 Fly fishing, 2S et seq. 
 
 Metal minnows, 34 et seq., 39, 
 42 et seq., iiy et seq. 
 
 Rods, 20 et seq., 32 et seq. 
 
 Season, 10 et seq. 
 
 Spinning, ^2 et seq. 
 Sea- trout, life history of, 13 ^/ seq. 
 Sewin, 23 
 Silkworm gut, 31 
 Sizes of reels, 29, 34 
 Sizes of hooks, 40, 67, 68, 117 
 Slipping knots, 115 
 " Snatching," 59 et seq. 
 Soaking gut, 32 
 Spawning, 13 
 Spinning, 32, 76 ^^ seq. 
 Spinning reels, 34 ^^ seq. 
 Spinning rods, ^2 et seq. 
 Split cane rods, 29, 33 
 Split shot, 50 
 Spoon baits, 44 
 Stationary drum-reel, 35 
 Striking, 52, 105 et seq. 
 Stuart, Hamish, 12 
 Substitute, gut 31 
 Synthetic gut, 31 
 
 Tackle- 
 Balance, 39 
 Box-swivels, 35, 117 
 Casts, 31, 35 
 " Colorado " spoon, 44 
 Damping boxes, 39 
 Devon minnows, 42 
 File, 46 
 
 Fishing-bags, 38 
 Flies, 40 et seq., 66 et seq., 100 
 et seq. 
 
128 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Tackle — contd. 
 Floats, 50 
 Fly-books, 39 
 Fly boxes, 39 
 Fly spinner, 41, 74 
 Gaffs, 38, 49 
 Gut, 31 
 
 Gut bottoms, 50, 52 
 Gut substitute, 31 
 Hooks, 40, 68, 117 
 Landing nets, 38, 92 
 Line dryers, 30, 39 
 *' Linefiote," 46 
 Lines, 30, 34, 35, 120 
 Metal minnows, 34 et seq., 
 
 42 et seq., iij et seq. 
 Reel bags, 45 
 Reels, 29, 30, 35 
 Rod-case, 47 
 
 Rods, 28 et seq., 32 et seq. 
 Split shot, 50 
 Spoon baits, 44 
 Tackle-box, 39 
 Tackle dealers, 44, 75, 10 1 
 Tailer, 38 
 Tail fly, 71 
 Tapered lines, 30 
 Tavy River, 11, 25 
 Taw River, 25 
 Teify River, 26 
 Teign River, 11, 25 
 
 Tackle — contd. 
 
 Thread lining, 35 et seq. 
 
 Tinsel, 69 
 
 Towy River, 26 
 
 Trace, how to make, iiy et seq, 
 
 Truff, 23 
 
 U 
 
 Upstream worming, 52 
 Usk, 26 
 
 39, W 
 
 Waders, 54 
 
 Wading, 62 et seq., 90 
 
 Walton, Izaak, 75 
 
 Wasp grubs, 52 
 
 Waterproof line, 34 
 
 Waterville, 12 
 
 Weights of sea- trout, 12, 14 
 
 Wellingtons, 64 
 
 Wet fly-fishing, 67 
 
 ** Where to Fish," " Field," 21 
 
 White trout, 23 
 
 Whitling, 23 
 
 Worming, 49, 52 et seq. 
 
 Worms, 52 
 
 Wyre River, 25 
 
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 LD 21A-40m-4,'63 ,, .General Library 
 (D6471sl0)476B University of California 
 
 Berkeley 
 
VA 01255