THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID THE PRACTICAL ANGLER - PRACTICAL ANGLER OR TEE ART OF TROUT-FISHING MORE PARTICULARLY APPLIED TO CLEAR WATER BY W. C. STEWAET FIFTH EDITION REVISED AND ENLARGED EDINBURGH ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK 1867 PRINTED BY R. CLARK, KDINBITROH. PREFACE. OST anglers meet with fair success when the waters are dark coloured ; but when the waters are clear they ' find poor sport. This is mainly due to j an erroneous system of fishing, which 'angling works already published have done little to remove, and which, though its effects were not so observable fifty years ago, when drainage was less extensively in operation, and when the streams continued large and disco- loured for some time, is not at all adapted for the small clear waters of the present day. It is with the view of showing how almost, if not quite, as good sport may be had in clear water as in coloured, that we have undertaken VI PREFACE. to add another to the numerous volumes already existing upon this very popular amusement. It is almost unnecessary to add, that as it is more difficult to deceive trout in clear water than in coloured, the method of angling which succeeds best in the one case will also succeed best in the other. For more than fifteen years we have pursued angling with the greatest assiduity ; and during that period have obtained information from a number of excellent amateur anglers (among whom we may mention the Secretary of the late St. Konan's Angling Club), to all of whom we take this opportunity of expressing our thanks. We have also fished with, and watched while fishing, almost all the best professional anglers of the day, including the celebrated James Baillie, considered by all who know him the ablest fly-fisher in Scotland, and from whom we have received some valuable information upon that branch of the art ; and it must be admitted that there are few anglers like those whose ingenuity and perseverance are stimulated by necessity. The information received from PREFACE. Vll these we have thoroughly tested before admit- ting it into the following pages ; and we may safely say that we have gained more from half an hour's conversation with such, than from all the books we ever read upon the subject, and their number is not small ; most works upon angling being rather amusing than instructive. The angler will not find this the case in the following volume ; if he finds nothing instructive, he will certainly find nothing amusing ; and we found our claims to the attention of the angling community solely upon the ground of the infor- mation we have to convey, which we have endeavoured to make as distinct as possible ; and as this treatise is only intended for anglers, we expect that the style and composition will not be very severely criticised. EDINBURGH, January 1857. PREFACE TO THE FOUKTH EDITION. r HE reception which the Practical Angler met with when first pub- lished, four years ago, was highly gratifying. The press, as our readers will see by the appendix to this volume, expressed a very favourable opinion; and since then it has gone through three editions an amount of success which shows clearly that what the angling community now want, is not another amusing description of the pleasures of angling, but a book to teach them how to fish. In other respects, also, the success of the Practical Angler has been quite up to our expectations, not that it has made a first-rate angler of every one who has read its pages ; very far from this. It is one thing to be told how to X PREFACE. fish, it is another and much more difficult thing to do it successfully ; but the theory of angling therein explained has been generally received as correct, and if the angler cannot put it in practice it is his own fault. Most of our readers, however, admit having derived some benefit from these pages, and we have received numerous letters from anglers residing in all parts of the kingdom mentioning this, and stating that their baskets now present a very different appearance on their return from a day's angling. It is, however, painful to be compelled to admit that there is a very large number of anglers who have never read this volume at all, giving as a reason that they know all that is in it already and can fish well enough. Now, if these were first-rate anglers there would be some excuse for them, but they are by no means so, and it would be difficult to understand the state of their minds, but that Blackwood's Magazine has most opportunely solved the problem. The reviewer of this volume in that periodical says " that darkness rather than light is the deliberate choice of the million. The best teaching in the PEEFACE. Xi world is thrown away upon stupidity and self- conceit, and that not only in ethics, but in such practical matters as angling." There can be no doubt that the reviewer has here hit upon the two causes of all the ignorance that is in the world, and we, as may be expected, are quite willing to lay the nattering unction to our souls, and to ascribe to these causes the ignorance of those who know no more about fishing than they did before the Practical Angler was published. The most unpleasant part of our duty remains to be done, and that is to apologise to a very large number of correspondents whose communications we have been unable to answer. In the first edition, in a moment of heedless enthusiasm, we promised to send pattern flies to any one who wished to see them. We had not the most remote idea of the labour this would entail upon us ; hundreds of letters poured in, and gross after gross of flies went the way whence they did not return ; and after sending away all the flies which we had intended to serve us for years, no resource remained but xii PREFACE. to call a halt and leave the communications unanswered, as we had neither the flies to send nor the time to write ; and we hope this explana- tion will satisfy our correspondents. In laying before the public this edition of the Practical Angler we have revised it carefully and embodied in it any additional information obtained during the last four years. We have also endeavoured to make some passages which correspondents complained of, easier of compre- hension. In the preface to the first edition, we stated that our object in publishing was to show how almost, if not quite, as good sport may be had in clear water as in coloured. Subsequent experience has convinced us that not only as good, but better sport may be had in clear water than in coloured. Why it is so will be explained in this volume ; and, in conclusion, we have only to hope that those anglers who have benefited from a perusal of the first edition, will find their education completed by a careful study of the fourth. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. x. INTRODUCTORY. Page Enthusiasm of Anglers Attractions of Angling Trout the Fish most sought after Excuses of Anglers Defective Memory of Anglers .... 1 CHAPTER H. FRESH-WATER TROUT. Senses of Trout Slow-running Streams Various Pro- ductiveness of Streams Voracity of the Trout Effects of Drainage Tweed The Harry-water Net Increase of Anglers Effects of much Fishing . 13 CHAPTER III. ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. Fishing-boots Fishing-rods Different "Woods used in Rod-making Joining of the Rod Reels Gut Methods of staining Gut Hooks Landing or Min- now Nets 31 XIV CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. Page Pre-eminence of Fly-fishing Value of the Artificial Fly Difficulty of Fly-fishing Errors of Fly-fishers Advantages of Fishing up Stream Ordinary method of Fly-fishing Size or Colour of Water Fishing up not suitable for Salmon Stupidity of Anglers 52 CHAPTER V. FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. Odd Notions respecting Flies The May-fly of England Trout's Ideas of Artificial Flies Spider-flies Feathers for making Spiders The most killing Flies Method of dressing a Spider Method of dressing a Fly Difficulty of dressing Flies neatly Formation of the Fly-cast The Fly-rod Casting- powers of Rods . . . tfwTfc* . . 72 CHAPTER VI. ON TROUTING WITH THE FLY. Disadvantages of a Long Line Striking the Trout How to fish Pools, Streams, etc. Repeated Casting necessary Sizes of Fly General Rules " Time of the Take "May as a Fly-fishing Month Flies for May Night-fishing Maggots as an addition to Fly Advice to Beginners ...... 99 , ' CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER VII. ON ANGLING WITH THE WORM. Page Tackle necessary Size of Hook Experiments upon Hooks Sinkers Different kinds of Worms Size of Worm Necessity of fishing up Stream Neces- sity of keeping little Line in Water Method of fishing Streams Best time of Day Places where to fish Effect of East Wind Angling in Flooded Waters Worm-fishing in Hill-burns . . .128 CHAPTER VIII. MAY-FLY FISHING. Natural History of the May-fly Canister for holding Flies Method of using the Creeper Method of using the May-fly 156 CHAPTER IX. MINNOW AND PARR-TAIL FISHING. Methods of capturing Minnows Size of Minnow Drag- hooks Method of Baiting the Minnow Most favourable Condition of Water Places where to fish Best weather for using the Minnow Method of Baiting the Parr- tail 165 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. LOCH-FISHING. Page Loch-trout Loch-flies Size of Flies Too thick Gut generally used How to fish a Loch Fishing in a calm Lochleven Trout Trolling- tackl e Best Method of Trolling Worm-fishing in Lochs . .184 CHAPTER XL APPLICATION. Salmon-roe Protection of Parr General Advices Best means of filling a Basket in May End of the Angling Season 204 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. NGLERS, unlike excisemen, have no ground of complaint against the definition given of their occupation in Johnson's Dictionary. Angling, the world is there informed, is " the art of fishing with a rod." This may be imperfect may need a little filling up (the task, indeed, which we propose to our- selves) but it is perfectly fair and unpreju- diced. Not so, however, another definition, dropped from the lips of the same great authority in private, and which has ever since passed from mouth to mouth with a sneer. " Angling," said Dr. Johnson^ " means a rod with a fly at one end and a fool at the other." Nothing has rankled so deeply in the angling mind as this obiter dictum of the Mitre. It came from one, however, who knew nothing what- ever about the pursuit at which he threw his sarcasm, who, short-sighted and hypochondriacal, probably INTRODUCTORY. could not have enjoyed it had he tried, and who (the fact is sufficient for us) openly proclaimed his preference for the tumult of Fleet Street to the iinest rural scene in England. Still, we are bound to confess, that the British public is to a considerable extent divided as to which definition is the more correct. There are few amusements which the un- initiated look upon as so utterly stupid ; and an angler seems generally regarded as at best a simple- ton, whose only merit, if he succeeds, is that of un- limited patience, and whose want of success should he not succeed is only attributable to his want of that virtue, of which people seem to take fully more credit for the want than for the possession. Such impressions can only have originated in very confused ideas of both angling and patience ; and though it may suit the unsuccessful to abuse angling as " slow" and monotonous, and to quote Dr. Johnson's famous saying which, so far as they are concerned, is certainly correct angling, as we hope to show, is by no means either slow or simple, and requires just the same qualifications as are required for success in any other pursuit viz. energy and skill, and those in no small degree. If, however, on the one hand angling is looked upon with little favour by an unenlightened multi- tude, on the other hand there is no amusement to which those who practise it become so much attached. Nor do we think that anglers generally can fairly be accused either of stupidity, or, let us say, patience. ENTHUSIASM OF ANGLERS. 3 They have certainly in their ranks a larger pro- portion of men of literature and science than can be found among the followers of any other field sport ; and for the comfort of those who have not the much-despised gift of patience, we could point to a number of celebrated anglers, who are by no means celebrated as possessing this virtue, while numbers of the most patient followers of Izaak Walton are very far from having rivalled his success. Angling, when once embarked in by any person possessed of a reasonable amount of soul and brains, becomes a pas- sion, and like other passions will grow and feed upon the smallest possible amount of encouragement. Fish or, no fish, whenever opportunity offers, the angler may be found at the water-side. If this only went on in fine weather, people could understand it, but now- a-days, even in summer, the weather is not always fine j and when a man is seen standing in the water for hours in a torrent of rain, with benumbed hands and an empty basket, doubts of the individual's sanity naturally suggest themselves, mixed with feelings of pity for the terrible consequences in the way of colds, rheumatism, etc., which it is supposed must inevitably follow, but which don't. We have it from high medical authority, that rheumatism is more engendered by hot rooms and fires than by exposure, and as for the comfort of the thing, that is according to taste. It is surely better to have fresh air and exercise, even in wet, than to be spending the whole day in some country inn, yawning over 4 INTRODUCTORY. some second-rate novel for the third time, the amusement agreeably diversified by staring out of the window at the interminable rain, by poking a peat-fire, and possibly by indulging in a superfluity of that institution of the country, pale ale. " Though sluggards deem it but an idle chase, And marvel men should quit their easy chair The toilsome way and long long league to trace ; Oh ! there is sweetness in the mountain air, And life that bloated ease can never hope to share. " That angling is good for exercise is certain. That it is also good for amusement is equally certain ; but the pleasure derived from the catching of fish, like that derived from other field sports, is more easily felt than described. There can be no doubt, that by the great majority of people an amusement is valued in proportion as it affords room for the exercise of skill there is more merit, and therefore more pleasure in excelling in what is difficult and though we may astonish some of our readers, we assert, and shall endeavour to prove, that angling is the most difficult of all field sports. It requires all the manual dexterity that the others do, and brings more into play the qualities of the mind, observation, and the reasoning faculties. In shooting and hunt- ing, the dogs do the observation and the reasoning part of the business, and the sportsman the me- chanical ; but the angler has not only to find out where his fish are, but to catch them, and that not by such a " knock-nie-down" method as is practised ATTRACTIONS OF ANGLING. 5 upon some unfortunate blackcock or unwary hare, but by an art of deception. The angler's wits, in fact, are brought into direct competition with those of the fish, which very often, judging from the result, prove the better of the two. Besides the mere pleasure of fishing, however, angling has more varied attractions than almost any other amusement. To the lover of nature no sport affords so much pleasure. The grandest and most picturesque scenes in nature are to be found on the banks of rivers and lakes. The angler, therefore, enjoys the finest scenery the country offers; and, whereas other sportsmen are limited to particular places and seasons, he can follow his vocation alike on lowland stream or highland loch, and during the whole six months in which the country is most in- viting. From April, with her budding trees and singing birds, to May and June, with their meadows decked with the daisy and the primrose, and breezes scented with the hawthorn and wild thyme, and on to autumn, with her " fields white unto the harvest," he sees all that is beautiful all that is exhilarat- ing all that is grand and elevating in this world of ours, which, whatever people may say, is not such a bad world after all, if they would only keep bleach- fields and blackguards off the rivers' banks. With this brief resume" of some of the principal attractions of angling we must content ourselves. We have neither space, inclination, nor ability, to do justice to this branch of the subject. Further- 6 INTRODUCTORY. more, it is unnecessary, as the ground in this respect is already fully occupied ; and if any one wishes to have all the joys of angling set forth in genuine old English style, let him read Izaak Walton, " being a discourse on fish and fishing not unworthy the perusal of most anglers." Here may be found a conglomeration of fertile meadows, crystal brooks, meandering streams, milk-maids' songs, and moral reflections, which must prove irresistible ; and also, if a man of tender conscience, be able to satisfy him- self that angling is not a cruel amusement, though it must be admitted that some of Izaak's injunctions, such as putting a hook " through a frog tenderly, as though you loved him," seeing that the said tender- ness is to be evinced, not for the sake of saving the frog's feelings, but of prolonging its wretched life do savour a little of harshness, and seem to justify Lord Byron's lines : '* The quaint old cruel coxcomb in his gullet Should have a hook, and a small trout to pull it. " Never having had any scruples of this sort our- selves, we have not studied the subject, and there- fore leave the defence of it to Walton and a cele- brated Doctor of Divinity who has taken it in hand ; but if any one has any scruples, or thinks angling slow and stupid, or has any other objections, let him keep clear of it by all means. There are plenty of anglers already, and every year adds to the list a number, who are not to be deterred either by the sneers of this world, or by terror of the punishment, TROUT THE FISH MOST SOUGHT AFTER. 7 which, the poet thinks, should be reserved for the master, and we suppose for all his followers, in the next ; and our purpose is not to make more anglers, but to make successful anglers of those unsuccessful at present. Some fish afford more sport in their capture than others ; but for whatever kind necessity may compel the angler to fish, its capture will always afford him amusement, provided he has not been accustomed to anything superior. The juvenile cockney who bobs for gudgeon and eels in the dubs and ditches in the neighbourhood of London, and whom a trout of a pound weight would scare out of a year's growth, plies his lure as unremittingly as the sportsman who captures the monarch of the streams in some noble river, such as Tweed or Tay. Of all the inhabitants of the fresh water, no fish is looked upon with such favour by the angler, and none affords him such varied and continuous sport, as the common fresh- water trout. This is owing to its being the most difficult to capture of all the finny tribe, not excepting the salmon itself, to the sport it affords when hooked the trout being stronger than any fish of its size and to its fine edible qualities. In some parts of England trout have almost dis- appeared, and the angler has been compelled to have recourse to meaner fare ; but in Scotland trout are more plentiful than any other fish, and trout-fishing is within the reach of all. The difficulty is not to 8 INTRODUCTORY. name a river where good sport may be had, but to name a river where good sport may not be had, if properly gone about. Eailway travelling has afforded the angler great facilities for the pursuit of his vocation. One, or at most two hours' ride will convey all lovers of sport in any large town in Scotland, and in most of those in England, to streams where there are plenty of trout; and, to do them justice, they avail themselves of it to the utmost. On a holiday the banks of any stream in the neighbourhood are thickly studded with anglers, a few of whom meet with good sport, but the greater number, having demolished their sandwiches and emptied their flasks, return with their baskets, and occasionally their heads, lighter than when they left home. Happily, however, and it is certainly a strong argument in favour of the attractions of angling, they are not a whit discouraged ; but, on the con- trary, eager to return first opportunity, and have always a good excuse for their want of success. We never yet met a bad angler that had not a good excuse ; sometimes it is clear water, sometimes a bright day, sometimes thunder in the air, very often too many white clouds ; and failing all these, there still remains the great excuse, which is equally appli- cable to all states of weather and water that some- how or other the trout would not take, all of which we dismiss upon the ground that they should take the trout. Anglers have also an extraordinary knack of raising, hooking, and playing, but losing large EXCUSES OF ANGLERS. 9 trout. The trout once escaped, there is ample scope for the imagination to conjecture its probable size. We have never heard of any phrenologist having made the discovery that persons addicted to angling lack or lose the faculty of correctly distinguishing the essential properties of all matter, number, size, and ponderosity. It is certain, however, that in re- lation to fish they frequently show a lamentable deficiency in this power. Or, to take the harsher view that we fear finds too much favour with a cen- sorious world, they are in too many cases guilty of habitual and most intolerable exaggerations, not to use a stronger word. We think it a duty on the part of all sober-minded and truthful anglers, to set their faces against this vice, and to expose its "hideous mien" on all occasions. It has brought a stigma on our fraternity ; it has been the cause of many a day's disappointment to believing listeners ; and it has a tendency to propagate itself, for an honestly- disposed angler is often through it himself driven to desert the ways of truth, in order that his " take" may not sink into utter insignificance beside that of a more boastful but less veracious companion. Ee- turning recently from a day's fishing, which had been cut short by a violent thunderstorm, we en- countered at the railway station a well-known angler, and waited till the appointed time, well pleased to listen to his pleasant stories about angling, holding a foremost place amongst which were tales of his having detected the frauds and impostures of brag- 10 INTRODUCTORY. ging brethren. Of his own spoiled sport that day he remarked that he had only caught four trouts, but that they weighed half-a-pound each. The statement naturally excited surprise and suspicion. Such an "average" in that particular stream was unusual on any day ; and on this occasion, as no trout of that size had come our way, or that of the friends who were with us, we had arrived at the conclusion that the "good ones" were sulking, as they will sometimes do. In the railway carriage the man of half-pounders stuck to his statement, but refused to lead evidence by showing his fish. Aided by our friends, however, we succeeded in temporarily poinding his pannier, and dived into its depths. There, amidst boots, stockings, empty flasks, and sandwich papers, we discovered the concealed trouts. Troutkins, rather not trouts ! Half-pounders ! the whole four together would scarcely have weighed half-a-pound. Whether it was a too lively imagi- nation that had caused the discrepancy between the ideal trouts of the platform and the real trouts of the basket, we care not to inquire ; but we wonder if the same angler will ever again multiply the weight of his take by four, or by any other figure, or whether, made wise by experience, and by this crushing ex- posure, he will carefully take note of the size of his fish before consigning them to his basket, and not trust to a hasty glance to impress a memory which, let us charitably suppose, may be defective. At all A LAKGE TAKE BUTCHERY. 11 events, people who do not put a padlock on their baskets ought to put one on their mouths. Some anglers have also a habit of characteris- ing large takes as butchery ; the point where sport stops and butchery commences lying about the individual's greatest take. We cannot see the jus- tice of an opinion that considers the capture of a certain number of trout sport, and of twice that number taken by the same means butchery. If the sport of angling lies in the capture of fish, it seems evident that the more fish the better sport ; and it is our intention to treat of the different branches of angling solely with the view of showing how the greatest weight of trout can be captured in a given time. There are not many days from May till October, in which an angler, thoroughly versed in all the mysteries of the craft, should not kill at least twelve pounds weight of trout in any county in the south of Scotland, not excepting Edinburgh- shire itself ; and to describe the way in which this may be done is our object in this small volume. CHAPTEE II. FRESH-WATER TROUT. V* HE Salmo fario* or common trout, is in- _r* digenous to almost every river, burn, and loch in Scotland. When in good condition no tenant of the stream surpasses it in beauty of appearance. The head is small and well-shaped, the back finely curved, and the sides are thickly studded with star- like spots of a variety of colours, from bright red to dark brown. It is singular that it is a most unusual occurrence to find two trouts spotted exactly alike, there being generally some difference, however slight. Why it is so is beyond elucidation, probably for the same reason that no two human beings are the same in form and face. The trout of one stream can sometimes be dis- tinguished from those of another ; but this is more by the complexion and shape, than by any arrange- ment of the spots ; and these are well known to be entirely the result of feeding, and of the distinctive characteristics of each stream. Trout taken from a dark mossy water are dark and ill-coloured, while those taken from a clear stream are of a correspond- FRESH-WATER TROUT. 13 ing colour. Trout caught under a bank, in the shade of a bush, or in a part of the river where the bottom is dark, are of a darker colour than those caught in the lighter and more open parts ; their complexion thus changing according to the colour of the water they inhabit, the colour of the ground over which they move, and the degree of light. It is not our province to enter into the natural history of the trout, as what anglers wish to know is how to capture them, and we shall therefore con- sider trout in a purely angling point of view. With regard to the much-vexed question of whether trout hear or not, naturalists say that they have ears, but we think that these organs are rather intended by nature to convey any agitation in the water, to which they are keenly alive, than external noise. This much seems evident, that no noise out of the water can be heard by a trout in it. Guns have been fired not many yards from trout, but they exhibited no symptoms of alarm, which they would certainly have done had they heard ; and, though some English works upon angling caution the angler against speaking aloud at the water-side for fear of alarming the fish, this much is certain, that neither by speaking, nor any other noise the angler can make, is there the least danger of alarm- ing them. They have frequently been caught below a railway bridge at the very time a train was passing overhead. Those who object to fishing on the ground of 14 THE FRESH- WATER TROUT. its cruelty have got into nice disquisitions upon the subject of trouts' feelings. Having already referred our readers to Isaac Walton and a learned Doctor of Divinity for the solution of this difficulty, we need not do more than remark that their feelings do not seem to be by any means acute. They have frequently been caught with flies in their mouths which had been left there by some angler a few hours previous. The trout, as Professor Wilson observed, having gone off " with the fly in one cheek and his tongue in the other." A friend of ours met with a remarkable instance of this want of feeling when angling in the Whitadder with worm. He had just made his first cast when a trout went off with the whole apparatus of hook and casting- line. Without moving from where he stood, in the middle of the water, he put on another, and first cast with it caught the trout with the previous casting-line hanging from its mouth, and the hook firmly fixed in it. The vagaries which they exhibit when hooked are usually attributed to pain, but more probably arise from a mixed feeling of surprise and just indignation at having their powers of loco- motion suddenly curtailed. Of all the senses trout possess, that of sight is the most perfect, and is the one which most affects the angler in pursuit of his vocation. Naturalists say that the appearance and structure of the eye do not lead to the conclusion that their sight is very acute ; but the angler has every reason to SENSES OF TROUT. 15 believe otherwise. They can detect the smallest fly even in running water ; and at night, when it is so dark that the angler cannot see his flies, or even his rod, trout will see and seize a midge-fly, which certainly argues the possession of extraordinary powers of vision. Their eyes are situated in the front of their head, and looking sideways, so that they not only see in front, hut also on both sides of them, and even a little behind. The growth, size, and edible qualities of trout, entirely depend upon the quality and quantity of their food, and these, of course, depend upon the nature of the water they inhabit. The largest and finest trout are usually found in lochs ; these yield- ing more and better food than rivers. The redness in the flesh, which some trout have, is entirely the result of feeding, and is a very good index to their edible qualities. It is quite a common occurrence to capture red and white fleshed trout in the same loch or river; the red fleshed ones being merely better fed specimens of the same kind. Of rivers, those which flow slowly, and are more like canals than rivers, always produce the best trout. Of this description are most of the English streams ; and though trout in some of them are now very scarce, they are occasionally caught of large size ; indeed, in point of size, shape, and edible qualities, they bear away the palm from any that can be found in our Scottish streams. Among our own streams of this kind are the Eden and the 16 THE FRESH- WATER TROUT. Leven in Fifeshire, the Blackadder and the Leet in Berwickshire, the lower parts of the Clyde in Lanarkshire, and Biggar Water in Peehlesshire. All these streams run very slowly ; in some of them there are miles where it is difficult to tell at first sight which way the water is flowing. They all contain large, well-shaped, and in general red-fleshed trout, owing to the superior feeding which such streams, running over a bottom of mud or marl, possess, and also to the circumstance that they are generally not numerous. This last fact is due to a number of causes. Deep, slow-running streams are not favourable for spawning, trout requiring shallow water for that purpose. They are also ill- provided with stones and gravel, where the young fry may shelter themselves from their rapacious relatives, and from pike, which generally abound in such places, and commit sad havoc. It is observed that wherever these fresh-water tyrants are found, the trout attain large size, those that escape getting double the quantity of food they would under ordinary circumstances. It seems as if the feeding of a river could only support a certain weight of trout, so that where they are very numerous they are not large, and vice versa. Hence proprietors of ponds sometimes drag them with a net, and take out the small fish to improve the size of the re- mainder. Of the opposite class from those just mentioned are very rapid streams. Of this kind are most SLOW AND RAPID RUNNING STREAMS. 1*7 Highland streams, a few in the hilly parts of the Lowlands, and numerous hill-burns. The rapidity with which their waters run prevents any accumula- tions taking place which could yield sustenance to the trout, which, in the very height of the season, are poor and soft, and weigh miserably in propor- tion to their length. Between the slow-running streams on the one hand, and the very rapid on the other, there is a wide range, comprising all degrees of swiftness ; and every angler may get a river in which the variation of stream and pool will be exactly suited to his taste. Like the streams, the trout are of a medium quality, sometimes red in the flesh and sometimes white depending on the quality and quantity of food they obtain. Of this description are Tweed and its tributaries with few exceptions, most of the streams in the south of Scotland, and a few in the Highlands. In Tweed, trout are occa- sionally caught six and seven pounds in weight; and we have heard of one being taken from this river of the great weight of twelve pounds, which is the largest river trout we have heard of being caught in Scotland ; but they are not of such fine quality as those taken from our smaller streams. We have mentioned the size of trout as almost entirely depending upon the quantity of their food, without reference to age ; indeed this has but little to do with the question, and there being no mark by which their age may be known, any opinion upon c 18 THE FRESH- WATER TROUT. this point must be in a great measure conjectured, and cannot well be tested by experiment, as trout will hardly increase in size at all unless free to seek their food and -range the water as they please. We believe that a ten-year old trout may not weigh half- a-pound, or may weigh six pounds, according to the quality and quantity of its food. The number of trout a river produces depends upon a variety of natural causes, the principal of which is the spawning accommodation. Rivers in which there are plenty of smooth gravelly stretches, and which receive numerous small tributaries, gener- ally produce numbers of trout shallow water and a gravelly bottom being necessary for the deposit of the spawn. If a river is scantily furnished with spawning accommodation and also with food, the trout will neither be numerous nor large ; the Spey, the Dee, the Esk (Dumfriesshire), and most Highland streams, are examples of this. If the spawning accommodation is deficient and the feeding good, the trout are large, as in most slow running streams. If the spawning accommodation is good and the supply of food limited, the trout are gener- ally numerous but small ; Manor and Quair in Peeblesshire, and some of the tributaries of the Whitadder in Berwickshire, are examples of this, in any of which the angler may easily capture from ten to fifteen dozen of trout any day in summer. Small rivers produce more trout in proportion to their size than large ones, as a large river has VARIOUS PRODUCTIVENESS OF STREAMS. 19 not so much bed in proportion to its volume of water ; and it is principally the bed of a river which yields the insects and other food upon which trout live. Eivers where the salmon-fry, or par, as they are usually called, are very numerous, are rarely such good trouting-streams as those where there are none, these small fish consuming a large proportion of the food of the river. Placing some obstruction at the mouth of a stream, in order to prevent the migratory species from ascending it, would improve materially the size of the common trout it contains. Gala and Leader Waters are examples of this. At the mouths of these streams there are mill-caulds which salmon cannot get over; consequently there are no par, and the trout are much larger than in any similar tributaries of the Tweed where par are to be found. A proprietor on the Leader has been making a well-meant but inju- dicious attempt to let salmon up, with what success remains to be seen, but in proportion as the salmon get up the trout will diminish in size ; and we think it is not worth while spoiling the tr outing qualifica- tions of such a stream as the Leader in order to secure a few ill-conditioned salmon in the end of the season. Clean fish will never ascend so small a stream, and it will afford encouragement to some idle vagabonds to poach in winter. The trout is unquestionably a voracious feeder, and when hungry is not at all particular as to what it satisfies its appetite upon. Mies and aquatic 20 . THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. insects of all descriptions, minnows and other small fish, worms, beetles, snails, and frogs, are equally vic- tims to its rapacity ; nor does it feel any compunc- tions in devouring the smaller members of its own species. We once, when angling with the minnow in Leader Water, caught a trout of five or six ounces in weight with the tail of a fish protruding about in inch from its mouth, on pulling out which we found it to be a trout in a partially digested state, which, when its neighbour swallowed it, must have weighed at least two ounces. This did not prevent it from rising at the minnow, but its mouth being so full it could not get hold of it, and it was only after repeated rises that it was caught by the outside of the mouth. All this might lead to the supposition that trout would be easily captured ; but this is a great error. Whether it arises from any superior natural endow- ments, or is merely the result of education, as they are more fished for than any other fish, and may from that cause be more wide-awake ; this much is certain that they are the most wary and difficult to capture of all the inhabitants of the waters, display- ing a caution and sagacity in taking their food truly astonishing. They are also the most capricious of all fish, taking greedily one day what they will hardly look at the next. The wariness which trout display varies greatly according to circumstances. A well-fed trout is at all times more wary than a half-starved one, as it can afford to allow a suspicious- BEST SEASON FOR TEOUT. 21 looking fly or bait to pass, whereas the other cannot. In rivers much fished, trout, although sometimes numerous, become very shy ; seeing artificial flies so often, and being deceived by them, they detect their nature, thus showing that they are, to some extent, possessed of memory. The only point relating to trout in an angling point of view which remains to be considered, is the season when they are in condition. Generally speaking, they are in condition from the middle 01 April to the middle of September, but this entirely depends upon the nature of the river and season. They are never in condition till they get abundance of insect food. The supply of this keeps pace with the vegetation on the river's banks, and if the season is advanced, trout, in streams which flow through an early district of country, are quite fit for the table by the beginning of April ; if the season is back- ward, they may be fully a month later of coming into condition. In all streams trout are in their best condition when the May-flies are just done, which is generally about the end of June. They continue in condition all July, but subsequently begin to fall off those that are red-fleshed losing their colour, and all kinds becoming pale and soft ; and by the end of September or beginning of October are quite full of spawn and hardly worth capturing. It requires very little experience to tell whether or not a trout is in condition ; the small head in pro- portion to the body, and the breadth and thickness 22 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. of the body itself, at once indicate the -well-con- ditioned fish. All anglers should confine their operations to that period of the year when trout are fit for the table, as it is unsportsman-like in the highest degree to kill fish that are of no use. Such being our opinion, we shall limit the consideration of angling to the months in which trout are in condition. During the last twenty years a great decrease has taken place in the quantity of trout in our southern streams, and any angler who has been in the habit of frequenting regularly a particular stream during that time must have noticed an almost annual diminution in the number, and still more in the size, of its finny inhabitants. This is an alarming fact, and well worthy of the attention of the angling community, as some of the most fruitful causes of this disastrous result might be stopped. Some of them, however, there is no help for, and the most prejudicial of these is the drainage of the land, more particularly of the hill-pastures for sheep. So long as drainage was confined to the rivers' banks, its effects were not so observable ; but now that it has extended to the recesses of the mountains, whence most of our rivers receive nine-tenths of their water, and every hill, glen, and moor, is drained, it tells severely upon the streams and their inhabitants. The water, which used to find its way to the rivers gradually, keeping them large and full for a con- siderable time, is now conducted to them very soon EFFECTS OF DRAINAGE. 23 after the rain falls, and runs off in a day or two, leaving them clear and dwindled till the next flood. Several old residents on Tweedside have assured us, that fifty years ago, when there was a flood, Tweed continued the dark porter colour, so highly prized by anglers, for a week or more, and then ran clear but pretty full. Now, the flood is very heavy for the first day or two, and then falls rapidly, in three or four days becoming quite clear, and for weeks scarcely half the size of what it used to be when at its smallest. It is supposed that the heavy floods we now have shift the gravel, and carry off a large quantity of the spawn of the trout, and also of the eggs of aquatic insects. Then, again, when the waters are very small, the eggs of aquatic insects are left dry, and their vitality destroyed, so that the number of insects upon which trout feed is materially lessened, and at the same time the number and size of trout, which, as has just been stated, depends in a great measure upon the quantity of food. If drainage, for which there is no remedy, has such an injurious effect, there is the more necessity for looking after the causes which might be stopped ; and the worst of these are the manufactories, bleachfields, etc., which are so thickly studded along the banks of our southern streams, and which send their dyes and other deleterious refuse straight into the streams, causing sad havoc. When we mentioned this in our first edition, the Border Advertiser came down 24 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. upon us as having fallen into " the vulgar or rather urbane error, that manufactories injured the fishing." It would be worse than useless to argue the point with a man living upon the banks of Gala Water. If Gala Water from Galashiels to Tweed, which, to use the words of - Mr. Stoddart, " is an unseemly ditch, full of the blackest and most noxious dyes," and which the Border Advertiser must see and smell daily, will not convince him, no argument will. Why, the " Man of Boss," who has propounded the rather startling theory that grilse 'are not young salmon, and whose theory BlackwoocKs Magazine has settled for ever, labours under no such hallucination as our friend the Advertiser. That manufactories, however, do injure the fishing, all England proves ; there, the refuse from them and the drainage of towns are conveyed into the streams, and the result is . that salmon are not, and trout are fast going. Even in Scotland several streams have suffered severely from these causes, and they are daily increasing. The following graphic, and we fear prophetic, foreshadowing of the fate of Tweed, is taken from the Quarterly Revietu for January 1857, and is written by an angler no less celebrated for wielding the rod than the pen : " Look at what the Tweed is now in contrast with what will be its look and smell at that not distant then. See her and hers rolling along, beauti- ful and beautifying, through regions where every ruin is history, and every glen is song, gathering her TWEED. 25 tributes from a thousand hills from where sweet Teviot sings, unceasingly, its ' farewell to Cheviot's mountains blue ;' where pensive Yarrow winds like a silver chain, amid ' the dowie dens,' where, in the sad and silent < Forest ' * The wildered Ettrick wanders by, Loud murmuring to the careless morn,' till, grown stately, massive, and brimming, ' Tweed's fair river, broad and deep/ wheeling beneath the donjon keep of Norham and the battlements of Berwick, sinks into the ocean as glittering pure as when she broke away from her native hills. Is all this to vanish, and in its place a pestilential sewer ? Is that which spreads health and beauty around to become an eyesore, extending over half the breadth of Scotland 1 Shall the turrets of Abbotsford be reflected from a monster gutter, all stains and stench 1 ? Shall fair Melrose, instead of being * viewed aright by the pale moonlight/ be nosed in the dark ? Forbid it, all the powers of Parliament ! If, in- deed, that prohibition could not be uttered without destroying or impeding the brisk and cheerful in- dustry which has sprung up among these sweet hills, there might be nothing for it but to sigh and submit. But it would be almost profane to doubt that from so great an evil there must be means of escape that Hawick may prosper, and yet Tweed be preserved." If trout alone were concerned, there is little doubt that they would be left to their fate, and 26 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. come to an ignominious, Tinhonoured, but not un- niourned-for end ; but now that valuable property in the salmon-fishings is imperilled, there seems some prospect that the powers of Parliament, which have been so pathetically appealed to, may interfere. Another of the most fruitful causes of the depopulation of our streams is netting, and it has greatly increased of late years. The rivers are now so exceedingly small during summer, that they afford every facility for the successful practice of this illegal method of catching trout. The net used for this purpose is what is usually called " the harry- water net." Nets of this kind are made so light that they can be carried in the pocket, and so com- plete in structure, that a whole pool may be almost cleaned of its finny inhabitants at a single haul. Tweed and its tributaries suffer more from netting than any other streams in Scotland, and it is most usually carried on in the neighbourhood of towns or villages, where the poachers can find a ready sale for their trout. There are three remedies which might be adopted to prevent netting. The first, and undoubtedly the most efficacious of these, is to have the rivers watched ; but this is so expensive as to render it quite impracticable. Another way is to drive stakes into the principal pools and streams, which would prevent nets being drawn through. During the last few years this has been tried, and we understand with great success, in some streams in the neighbour- PREVENTION OF NETTING. 27 hood of Hawick. Gala Water was also staked last summer, and an association formed for the protection of the river, called the Gala Angling Association, which every angler who visits that stream should join. It is, however, too soon yet to speak of the effects of this upon Gala, but we have no doubt it will prove highly beneficial. Stakes, however, are liable to this objection, that they interfere with the angler while landing a fish, or when using the worm. The last and most feasible plan is to put large stones in the water, which would have the same effect as the stakes, and would not, like them, interfere with the angler, and would also afford shelter to the fish. The last reason we shall assign for the decrease of trout is the enormous increase of anglers of late years ; there are twenty anglers now for one there was fifty years ago. A gentleman who resided on Tweedside about the beginning of the present century, says that he and one or two others were the only anglers in a district comprising many miles of water. Then, when a flood came, Tweed remained large for ten days, and was swarming with trout so unwary that they could be caught with tackle and flies which a modern angler would reject as totally useless. Look at the state of the case now. How widely different ! Every villager has a rod, and uses it, with more effect too than most amateur anglers ; and it is not at all uncom- mon to be unable of an evening to get a single pool or stream to yourself; and on a favourable 28 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. day in the month of May, "Tweed's fair river, broad and deep,' 7 will be fished by many hundred followers of the gentle craft. Now, as almost all these catch a few trout, and some of them catch large basketsful, it is obvious that this must diminish the number of trout. The present scarcity of trout is forcing itself upon the attention of anglers, and it is sometimes suggested that trout should get a jubilee ; but apart frem the impossibility of ever carrying such a design into execution, this is un- necessary ; if net-fishing was entirely stopped, the streams would quickly regain a portion at least of their old fame. The trout taken by the rod in some districts are often few compared with those taken by the net. It is not by the dozen, nor yet by the basketful, that net-fishers count their spoils, but by the hundredweight, and this, of course, must speedily thin the trout in any stream, however prolific it may be. Fair rod-fishing will never seriously injure a stream. Of this Gala Water affords an excellent illustration. The favourite resort of anglers from Edinburgh, it is fished during the angling season by about thirty anglers daily, and supposing they only average two pounds each, it implies the capture of an immense quantity of trout. It also suffers as much from nets as any tributary of the Tweed, and yet in those parts where nets cannot be successfully wrought trout are still numerous. Nor are they by any means contemptible in size ; in this respect EFFECTS OF MUCH FISHING. 29 they will bear comparison with any of the other tributaries of Tweed open to the public. We once took with the minnow, between Eowland and Stow, twenty trout, the whole we got that day, which weighed fifteen pounds, and we never got such a large average size of trout in any of the other tribu- taries of the Tweed, or even in Tweed itself. There are not by any means too many anglers ; on the contrary, our Scottish waters would accom- modate, if properly distributed, twenty times as many as there now are. Tweed and its tributaries alone would, giving each plenty of water to himself, accom- modate several thousands every day during the season. Much fishing, besides to a certain extent thinning the trout, operates against the angler's killing large takes by making the remaining trout more wary ; and it is more from this cause than from the scarcity of trout, that so many anglers return unsuccessful from much-fished streams. The waters also now remain brown-coloured for such a short time that the modern angler is deprived, unless on rare occasions, of even this aid to his art of deception ; and the clearness of the water and the increased wariness of the trout are the main causes why the tackle of fifty years ago would be found so faulty now. Fifty years ago it was an easy thing to fill a basket with trout, not so now ; then there were ten trout for one there is now the colour of the water favoured the angler, and the trout were comparatively unsophisticated ; now 30 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. filling a basket with trout, at least in some of our southern streams open to the public, when they are low and clear, is a feat of which any angler may be proud. To do so he must oppose craft to craft, and cunning to cunning, and must study very closely the habits and instincts of the trout. Angling is in fact every day becoming more difficult, and consequently better worthy of being followed as a scientific amuse- ment. So far from looking upon the increase of anglers with alarm, it ought to be regarded with satisfaction : the more trout are fished for, the more wary they become ; the more wary they are, the more skill is required on the angler's part ; and as the skill an amusement requires constitutes one of its chief attractions, angling is much better sport now than it was fifty years ago. CHAPTEE III. ^h ~ | ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. EESS. The only advice it is necessary to give the angler on this head is, not to select any very gaudy colours, and to avoid any approach to foppery, as trout have the most thorough contempt for a fop, and will not on any account allow themselves to he handled with kid gloves. Nothing is so completely out of place at the water-side as an individual got up with all the elaboration of one of Punch's swells. We often wonder what has tempted such an one to leave off sunning himself in Princes Street to astonish the inhabitants of some distant stream. Seriously speaking, however, gaudy colours are apt to attract the notice of the trout, and are perceived by them at a greater distance. Some anglers may think this is being unnecessarily particular ; but on a sunny day, when to escape observation the angler will require to crawl up the river's bank, dress be- comes a subject of some importance. Every angler ought to furnish himself with a waterproof coat ; they are now made so light that they can be put 32 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. in the pocket or strapped to the basket, without the least inconvenience. Some anglers, who, we sup- pose, must belong to the new school of muscular Christians, allege they never feel comfortable till they get wet ; but if, as we suppose, the greater number never feel comfortable when they do, a waterproof coat, a wide-awake hat, and wading- boots, will render them quite independent of the weather. Wading Boots and Stockings. Anglers who can stand knee- deep in water for a whole day daring any part of the angling season without any danger of suffering from it, require nothing to wade with but a pair of good stout shoes or boots. If the water is very cold, wearing two pairs of stockings instead of one will add to the angler's comfort. Many anglers, however, particularly those whose mode of life is sedentary, cannot expose themselves to wet with any degree of impunity, so that they must either refrain from wading or wear waterproofs of some description. The ordinary leather boots, such as are generally worn by fishermen, are undoubtedly the most substantial article of the kind to be had. The only objection to them, and it is certainly a serious one, is their great weight ; the lightest of them when properly ironed weighing four or five pounds each. To leather wading-boots we prefer waterproof stockings, which are now made light as well as substantial, and may be procured at a very moderate price. These waterproof stockings are FISHING-BOOTS. 33 intended to be worn over the ordinary worsted ones ; some even wear two pairs of stockings below them to keep their feet warm in cold weather. Between the waterproof stockings and the boots, to prevent the latter from cutting the former, another pair of worsted stockings must be put. Waterproof stockings will last a long time, if, after having been used, they are turned inside out to allow the perspiration which accumulates in the inside to dry off, otherwise it will cause the material to rot. Over them the angler should have a pair of good stout shoes or boots well ironed. In all boots or shoes meant for wading this should be attended to, or the angler may slip among the stones, and get an unexpected bath some morning. It will also be found an improvement to bore holes in the soles of them to permit the water to escape, as much water about the feet is disagreeable as well as weighty ; and wading gear of any description is quite heavy enough in itself. To keep wading boots and shoes soft, and prevent the leather from cracking, it is necessary that when drying they should be well greased. For this purpose we know nothing better than the grease which curriers use for their leather, and which may be had at any currier's. Rods. There is no article of an angler's equip- ment that affords more room for the exercise of taste in its selection than the rod. Eods may be bought at such a moderate price, and withal so much better than any angler can make them for himself, D 34 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. that it is unnecessary to give any instructions for the mechanical part of rod-making, and we shall merely mention what a good rod should be made of, and the qualities it should possess. The two great requisites in a rod we consider to be stiffness and lightness, two qualities exceedingly difficult to com- bine. The amount of stiffness should be such that, when casting, the forward motion of the rod may be stopped pretty quickly without any recoil of the point taking place. Most of the rods that are to be had ready made in Edinburgh are useless from their excessive pliability, and from what we have seen of English and Irish rods they are still worse. This is not the fault of the rod-makers who require to suit the public taste, but the fault of anglers who will have their rods made in that manner. We know of no place where a better rod can be made than in Edinburgh, if the angler only says that he wishes it stiff. In casting with a supple rod, after propelling the line forward, and stopping the forward motion of the hand, a recoil of the point takes place, which, to a considerable extent, interferes with the forward motion of the line. The advantages of a stiff rod are its great supe- riority in casting; it will throw a longer and a lighter line, and with greater certainty, to any spot the angler wishes. Its advantages, in these respects, are particularly apparent in a windy day, when it is necessary to cast against the wind, or even sideways to it. With a supple rod, in such circumstances, FISHING-RODS. 35 it is almost impossible to get the line out at all. Another great advantage of a stiff rod is its supe- riority in striking. In striking, by a quick motion of the wrist, the angler moves the rod ; if this is done with a supple rod, the part of it in the hand is moved immediately, but not so the point ; the rod yields throughout ; and the point, by means of which the line is pulled, may almost be said to remain stationary for a moment after striking, and then moves in a slow, uncertain manner ; very different from the instantaneous sharp strike of a good stiff rod. Lightness we consider an essential qualification in a rod ; the lighter it is, the angler can cast it the oftener, and use it the longer at a time. This, how- ever, is a matter which the angler should regulate for himself, as a rod that will be too heavy for one will be a mere whip in the hands of another. The butts of rods are frequently made hollow to contain one or more spare points ; and to such as have their points made very thin, this is almost indispensable, as it is by no means uncommon for some anglers to demolish one or two of these flimsy articles in a day. If the butt-piece is to be made hollow, it should be made of ash ; the boring of it is a very difficult process, and can only be done by a machine. Saplings are also sometimes used for this purpose, in the centre of which there is gener- ally a considerable quantity of pith, which can easily be scooped out, and the hollow space enlarged. We 36 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. are by no means partial to hollow butts ; they require to be made so thick that they destroy the symmetry of the rod, and they never bend from the hand as a well-made rod should. It is only in Scotland that hollow butts are much used. English anglers object to them as destroying the bend of a rod, and carry a spare point in the handle of their landing-net, which is made hollow for that purpose ; in our opinion, a great improvement upon the hollow butts. The necessity for spare points would be avoided, if anglers would get their rods made stronger. A moderately stout rod made of good material, with plenty of rings, will stand much more than could be supposed from its appearance, and even if it should break, it can be temporarily repaired in a very short time. If the butt is not made hollow, fir may be substi- tuted for ash with advantage, as it is much lighter, and quite strong enough. For the middle pieces of a rod, there is nothing like hickory ; it possesses elasticity and strength in a great degree, and, if properly taken care of, will stand long and frequent use. Good hickory is the most valuable of all woods to the rod-maker. The tops of rods are made of a great many differ- ent kinds of wood hickory, bamboo, lance, log- wood, greenheart,and numerous others. The two last mentioned are too brittle and too heavy, pressing severely upon the middle pieces, and causing that excessive pliancy which spoils a rod for all useful purposes. Lance, though not so brittle, is open to JOINING OF THE ROD. 37 the latter objection, and if used at all, should be used very sparingly. Hickory and bamboo, parti- cularly the latter, are best suited for tops, and we think the greater part, if not the whole, should be made of bamboo. The strength of bamboo lies in the skin, and in order to turn this to the best account, rod-makers lay two or three slits together, so as to form a complete skin all round. This is much more troublesome than making it of one piece, but is more durable, and with good usage will never break. Eods are sometimes made entirely of bam- boo, but they possess no advantage over those in common use, to compensate for the additional ex- pense a twelve-foot rod of this material costing <3 or <4. For our own use we are exceedingly partial to rods made entirely of cane, with the exception of the top, which is bamboo. They are stiff, strong, and very light ; the only objection to them is, that they are liable to take a bend, unless the angler takes care to straighten the pieces before putting them past. Great diversity of opinion exists ag to how the different pieces of a rod should be put together when intended to be used. Some anglers, ourselves in- cluded, prefer the tie system, for the following reasons : A tied rod is not nearly so liable to break as one with brass joints ; the wood of a rod requires to be thinned in order to put the brass on, rendering them liable to give way at the joints a fact which the experience of all anglers will confirm. A tied 38 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. rod also bends most equally throughout ; and no angler will deny that it is the most agreeable to use. The great objection, however, to brass joints is, that, in order to bear their weight, the rod requires to be made so much thicker throughout. A rod of twelve feet, without brass joints, should weigh about four- teen ounces ; with brass joints, it will weigh about a pound and a half, nearly double the weight, which tells fearfully upon the angler's arm in fly-fishing. "When the tie system is adopted, the splices should be well waxed, as also the thread with which they are tied, otherwise they will be constantly slipping. This mode of joining is objected to by some on the ground that there is a good deal of time spent in putting the rod up ; but we think much more time will be lost by using a rod with the additional weight necessary to stand brass joints. If the angler cannot be troubled to tie the pieces of his rod together, joints of some kind are indispen- sable. The old mode of joining was by screw joints ; but they do not last, and the plain slip joint has entirely superseded them, and is undoubtedly the most convenient and lasting method of putting a rod together. The pieces are the better of being tied together, as, if they are not, they may slip. For this purpose, small wire catches should be put at the bottom and top of each piece. A well-made rod, when put up, should yield slightly from a little above the hand to the top, and if intended to be used with one hand should balance JOINING OF THE HOD. 39 about a foot above the hand ; if intended to be used with both hands, about a foot further up. The facility of casting with a well-balanced rod is very great, as the part of the rod below the hand acts as a lever. The reel is usually attached to the rod by rings, which is undoubtedly the most convenient plan, as it can be taken off at pleasure. In a one-handed rod, the reel should be as close to the butt end as possible, as its leverage will be greater there j in a double- handed rod, sufficient room must be left below the reel for the hand. When the weight of the butt end and reel together are not in themselves sufficient to balance a rod, lead should be added till it balance at the proper place. Rings are indispensable to a rod in order to convey the line from the reel to the point. A differ- ence of opinion exists as to whether they should be fixed or moveable. For our part, if they could be fixed so as not to move, we would prefer them that way, as they let off the line much more easily \ but they generally have just sufficient stiffness to be troublesome. When they come into contact with anything, they are knocked over and remain so ; and unless the angler notice it, the first fish will break his line. When treating of the different branches of ang- ling, we will mention the size and description of rod most suitable for each ; but the size of rod we have advocated for fly-fishing is so much shorter than 40 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. usual, that it may with great propriety be objected to, as being unsuitable for any other kind of fishing, To obviate this as much as possible, we have a joint made in our fly-rod about a foot from the butt-end, and carry with us a spare butt of about four feet in length. This can be attached to the basket without the angler suffering the least inconvenience, or may be made with joints, which will render it more por- table. When wishing to change from fly to bait, we take off the short butt and put on the long one, and have then a rod suitable for any purpose. To keep a rod in good order, and render it im- pervious to wet, it should be varnished occasionally. If any part of it is made of bamboo, this should be done .every three or four times it is used, as the varnish will not adhere to the skin of the cane, but cracks off in casting. For this purpose spirit varnish is generally used, which may be had of any fishing- tackle maker or druggist, and should be applied with a brush. Heels. The best reels are those made of brass, and with a plain wheel. Some anglers prefer the multiplier, because it rolls up the line more quickly, and others the rack, because it presents a greater resistance to the running off of the line ; but these advantages are counterbalanced by their liability to go wrong, particularly the multiplier ; and we have known anglers who have lost a salmon by the rack catching at a critical moment. A plain wheel will sometimes allow the line to run off too freely, but this REELS. 41 is the angler's fault, who, in playing a trout, should regulate the amount of stress to be laid on it by the hand entirely. Eeels have been greatly improved in shape of late years ; they are now made much deeper, and not so broad, thus allowing the line to be run off more easily, and be wound up more quickly. The size of the reel should always bear some pro- portion to the size of the rod. A large reel seems quite out of place on a small rod, and vice versa. Lines are now usually made by a machine, and if care be taken in their construction, they can be made much better in this manner than by the hand. They can be bought at such a moderate price, that it is not worth any angler's trouble making them for himself. They are made of horse-hair, or a mixture of hair and silk ; those made of hair entirely are more durable than any other kind, as they are not so liable to rot as all lines are of which silk forms a component part. The latter, however, are stronger for their bulk, and are much more easily thrown two considerable advantages. Lines made entirely of silk, prepared in some patent manner, are now in very common use, and seem likely to supersede every other kind. They are very strong, and are more easily thrown than any kind of line, but like all lines made of silk, they will rot unless dried after being wet. As to the length of line, the angler should be guided entirely by the size of the river he intends fishing in. For small streams, twenty yards will be quite sufficient, but in first-class 42 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. rivers and lochs three times that quantity will be necessary. After the ordinary winch-line, it is usual to have a casting-line of horse-hair loosely twisted, or triple gut. Some anglers prefer the hair because they think it lighter, which, however, is a mistake, as gut is stronger for its weight than any material the angler can use, and is also heavier for its bulk, which is a great assistance to casting. Gut. This article is made from the entrails of the silk worm before it casts its silk, and is principally manufactured in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Sicily. Of all the materials used by the angler, it is the one which it is most difficult to procure good, and which it is most necessary should be so. For angling in clear water, inhabited by cunning cautious trout, fine thin gut is absolutely necessary for success, and we think that anglers in Scotland are in general not sufficiently aware of the importance of fine gut. An immense quantity is imported annually, put up in hanks of about a hundred threads each. So far as we can judge, a good deal appears to be spoilt in the manufacture. As it is made at present, nine hanks out of ten are totally unfit for fine trouting purposes, and even the very finest hanks seldom contain more than twenty threads fit for dressing flies or bait- hooks upon. The first angler who travels in Spain should try to prevail upon the Spaniards to pay a little more attention to the manufacture of this article ; it would amply repay them for their trouble, GUT. , 43 as they would get three times the price for it. Mean- time all anglers should use none but the very finest threads, and if they continue doing so, coarse gut will become valueless, and the demand will soon influence the manufacture. We are informed by an importer that gut used to be made much better, but that the price has fallen so low, that it will not re- munerate for the trouble required to make it fine ; so that anglers have themselves to blame. The qualities good gut should possess are round- ness, transparency, and thinness. Unless gut is round it glitters in the sun, which renders it useless to the angler ; it must also be perfectly free from that white glossy appearance which round gut frequently has, and which renders it more easily seen than clear gut of twice the thickness. Thinness, however, is the great desideratum, as the thinner it is there is the less chance of the trout detecting it. Some anglers, particularly those in the north, seem to think that gut cannot be had too thick, whereas the reverse is the case it cannot be had too fine. Of late years, fishing-tackle manufacturers have been in the habit of reducing the size of gut, which is done by drawing it through a machine, and paring away a considerable portion of the gut. By this means it may be made of any thinness, but it injures the texture of the gut, and destroys its transparency, and it is certainly better if it can be had sufficiently fine without reducing. Gut prepared in this man- 44 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. ner is also very expensive ; costing from ten to six- teen shillings a hank. All gut is more or less of a clear colour, which glitters in the sun, and in order to divest it of this it requires to be stained. The colour of the dye used is of little consequence ; the object being to render it of a dull colour, and this may be best accomplished by dying it of a bluish-green. This dye may be made by boiling a handful of logwood in a pint of water, and adding copperas till it is of the required colour. A piece of copperas about half the size of a pea will be sufficient ; if too much is put in it will make it quite blue. The gut should be put into the liquid when cold, and allowed to remain till it is of the required colour. Gut plays a very important part in the formation of all trouting tackle : hooks of every description should be dressed upon it ; and all casting -lines, and, indeed, every part of the line that is intended to touch the water, should be made of this material. After the ordinary winch-line, there should be a casting-line composed of seven or eight lengths of triple gut twisted together. This can only be done properly by a machine for the purpose, which may be had in any fishing-tackle shop. Only the longest threads should be selected for this purpose, and they should be as nearly as possible of one thickness. Before attaching them to the machine, they should be soaked in cold water for half-an-hour, or they will be certain to break. After the lengths are twisted, THE CASTING-LINE. 45 they may be joined together according to the angler's taste, taking care that they taper from one end to the other. The most secure method of joining them is with the single slip-knot, lapping the ends over with well- waxed silk thread ; a little spirit varnish makes all secure. Another way of joining them is by whipping the ends together with silk ; this is the neater plan of the two, but it is continually giving way, and requires to be done over again ; so that, unless the angler makes up his own tackle, he will find it exceedingly troublesome \ anglers practising this method should always keep the joinings well varnished. After the triple gut-line, there should be four or five lengths of picked gut, tapered in thickness to where the fly or bait tackle is attached ; these should be joined together by a common knot. Instead of fastening the fly or bait cast to this by a loop, as is usually done, it is better to fasten it by a knot, as it is neater, and makes less show in the water. There is nothing so apt to slip as gut, and there- fore the knot by which to tie the threads together is of some importance. The water-knot is made by laying the two ends together, rolling them round the forefinger of the left hand, and passing one thread and the adjoining end through the loop thus formed ; this is called the single water-knot, and is very neat, but apt to slip. The double water-knot is done in the same way; but the ends are passed twice through instead of once, making a very firm knot, but rather 46 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. clumsy. The single slip-knot is made by laying the ends together, and simply knotting the one round the other ; in the right direction it will hold together, but may be separated by pulling the short ends. The double slip-knot is so far the same ; but in knotting the threads round each other, the ends are passed twice through instead of once : this, if properly done, makes a neat and firm joining, and is the one we always use. Before knotting, gut should be well soaked in cold water. Hooks. The two great points to be attended to in the selection of hooks are the bend, and the tem- per and durability of the wire. Great diversity of opinion exists as to what sort of bend is best adapted for hooking, and in order to please every one, a variety of bends are made ; these are the round, Limerick, Kirby, and sneck bends. The two last may be dismissed at once, as they are not a whit better adapted for hooking than the ordinary round bend, and are much more difficult to bait. The main point, as we have already stated, being to hook a fish, the round bend appears to be the best adapted for that purpose. It is an error to suppose, that because the point of the Limerick is more turned out, it is therefore more likely to take a hold when the angler strikes ; on the contrary, the more the point of the hook is turned out, the less is the chance of hooking ; there is certainly a greater probability of the point of the hook coming into contact with the mouth of the fish, but it merely grazes it, and then HOOKS. 47 starts off. The reason of this is, that when the angler pulls, the pressure upon the point does not pull it straight in, but sideways. The accompanying illustration will assist to explain this. No. 1. No. 2. n No. 1 is a round bent hook of the shape we use ; and No. 2 is a Limerick of the ordinary bend. When the point of a hook comes in contact with anything, the line being attached to the end of the shank, the pressure takes place in the direction of the straight line B A, so that in No. 1 the pressure will be almost in the same direction as the point ; whereas in No. 2 it will be very nearly at right angles to the point, requiring three times the force to fix it, and rendering it exceedingly liable to start off and merely graze the mouth of the fish. As a proof of this, if the angler is using hooks which are not sufficiently tempered, he will frequently, after having fished for some time, find them bent out in the point, showing that the pull was so much off the straight line, that the force which was sufficient to bend the wire was not enough to fix the hook. Whenever this is observed, the angler should restore the hook to its original shape by biting it between 48 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. his teeth, as it will never catch a fish in that state. The point of the hook must not lie in exactly the same line as B A, because if it does, when it comes in contact with the mouth of a fish it will hardly take any hold at all ; it must be so much off the line B A, that ' when it comes against anything it will press into it. In order to understand what we mean, the reader should take two dressed hooks of the same shapes as Nos. 1 and 2, and pull them against some soft substance, when he will at once see the force of these remarks. We believe that with a fly dressed upon a hook of No. 1 bend, we could catch at least three trout for two we could catch with a fly dressed on a hook bent as No. 2, out of an equal number of rises. There are numbers of anglers who are of the same opinion, and would not use a Limerick hook on any account ; and we have met with professional anglers, ready enough in general to accept of any kind of tackle, who absolutely refused to take Limerick hooks, as being of no use. Some anglers shorten the shanks of their hooks considerably, but this is highly objectionable, as it has exactly the same effect as having the point turned out, and' if carried to any extent, renders the chances of hooking a trout exceedingly small. The round bent hooks manufactured by Bartlett and Son, and Addlington and Hutchinson, can generally be depended upon for temper and dura- bility of wire. The hooks of neither of these makers BASKET-PANNIER OR CREEL. 49 are exactly of the proper shape, being rather too much turned out in the points. Addlington's small sizes are, without exception, the best that are made, as they neither bend nor break, but are somewhat difficult to get, as few fishing-tackle makers keep them. Bartlett's small sizes are liable to bend (a very bad fault), but the same objection does not apply to his large sizes, which we prefer to Addling- ton's, the latter maker's hooks, from No. 9 upwards, being too thick in the wire. It is a great improve- ment to get them japanned in the same way as the Limerick hooks, for if left with the blue steel ex- posed they are exceedingly liable to rust. Bartlett numbers his hooks from 1 J, the largest size, to 17, the smallest. Addlington's numbers are from the largest trouting size to 00, the smallest. Being better acquainted with Bartlett's hooks than any others, when we speak of hooks in the subsequent parts of this volume the reader will understand that it is his sizes to which we allude. The following numbers of Bartlett and Addlington are about the same size : Bartlett's Nos. . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Addlington's Nos. 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 00 Basket - pannier or Creel. The most elegantly shaped baskets are those made of split willows, usually called "French made." For the size of basket every angler should be guided by the quantity of fish he expects to capture ; nothing looks worse than a few trout half-hidden with grass in the E 50 ANGLER'S EQUIPMENT. bottom of a large basket. It will be found an im- provement to attach a strap to the back of the basket, by which the angler may strap on his water- proof coat ; this has the double advantage of being the most convenient mode of carrying it, and ot acting as a kind of cushion between the basket and the back. Landing or Minnow Net. The meshes of the landing-net should be made sufficiently small to admit of its being employed for capturing minnows. Nets are not much used in Scotland for landing trout, as our rivers in general have plenty of smooth sloping banks, and using a net in such would rather diminish the pleasure of landing a fish. But in lochs a landing-net is indispensable, and even in rivers, if the banks are steep, or the sides weedy, it will be found a very great convenience. Under any circumstances, if the angler has an attendant to carry his basket which we strongly advise all who angle for pleasure to have he should have a landing- net with him, as even though he should not require it for trout he may meet with a shoal of minnows, and feel disposed to try minnow-fishing. Nets are now made with jointed hoops, which fold up and can be put in the basket or pocket ; the handles also are made with numerous joints, or in telescope fashion the one slipping into the other so that they take up very little room. Fishing Pocket- Boole. In order to afford ample room for the accommodation of every kind of tackle, FISHING POCKET-BOOK. 51 this article should be large at least six or seven inches long by five or six wide. It should have numerous pockets, and also divisions of parchment to keep the tackle separate. Keeping flies in a book squeezes and destroys them, and the preferable plan is to keep them in an oblong tin box, which should be from five to six inches long by four or five wide, and which may be made with a division in the middle and to open at both sides ; it should also be furnished with slips of paper to keep the fly- casts separate. Lastly, in regard to tackle, we advise anglers, before putting past flies or lines, to dry them pre- viously, and to have everything connected with their angling equipment of the very best material ; it will be found a great assistance to successful fish- ing, and also the most economical plan in the end. CHAPTER IV. ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. LY-FISHING has always been, and we believe always will be, the favourite method of angling; and deservedly so. Few who have once owned its sway are capable of resisting its attractions. What golden memories of the past it recals ! What bright visions of the future it por- trays ! And when May comes, that month pre-eminently the fly-fisher's, with its bright sunny mornings and soft southern breezes, once more, un- encumbered with anything save a light rod and small box of flies, the angler wends his way to some favourite stream. Once more with elastic tread he climbs the mountain's brow, and having gained the summit, what a 'prospect meets his gaze! There, far as the eye can reach, rises into the blue sky summit after summit of the heath- clad hills, while underneath lie the grassy slope and luxuriant meadow, the green corn-field and waving wood, and winding and circling among all like a silver thread lies the far-stretching stream in all its beauty. There is PRE-EMINENCE OF FLY-FISHING. 53 nothing to break the solitude save the plaintive bleating of the sheep or the cry of the moorcock. As the angler descends, the music of the song-bird meets his ear from every bush, and the groves resound with the cooing of the wood-pigeon or tl^e soft notes of the cuckoo. And now he approaches the scene of his anticipated triumph. There are the deep rocky pool and racing shallow, the whirling eddy and rippling stream. Now it pauses as if to enjoy the glory of the prospect, then rushes impetu- ously forward, as if eager to drink in the grandeur of some new scene. Now it foams over rocks, and then meanders slowly between green banks. Every- thing seems endowed with life to welcome the return of summer. The very river is alive with leaping trout. Everything tends to cheer the angler's heart and encourage his hopes. No wonder that with Sir Henry Wotton he finds " fly-fishing " a " cheerer of the spirits, a tranquilliser of the mind, a calmer of unquiet thoughts, a diverter of sadness." And then the art itself is lively and graceful. Look at the angler as he approaches some favourite spot. See him as he observes the monarch of the pool regaling himself on the incautious insect that sports in fancied security upon the surface. In wardly he vows that it shall be avenged. Cautiously he approaches, concealing himself by kneeling or keeping behind some bush, lest by any chance his expected prey should discover him and so be warned. Gracefully wheeling his long line behind, he lays 54 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. his flies down softly as a snow-flake just above the desired spot. A moment of expectancy succeeds, the flies approach the very place where the trout was last seen. Look at the angler how with keen eye he watches, to strike with alert hand the moment he either feels or sees the least movement. There is a stoppage of the line and an instantaneous movement of the angler's wrist and the trout is fast. At first he shakes his head as if surprised and be- wildered at the unwonted interference with his liberty, but gradually awakening to a sense of the danger of his position, he collects his scattered energies and makes a gallant fight for liberty ; frequently he will leap in the air several times as if to ascertain the character of his opponent, and then make a frantic rush ; but the figure on the bank follows him like a shadow, and at last, strength and hope both exhausted, he turns on his side and be- comes an easy prey, leaving the angler to contem- plate the speckled sides of his captive with satisfac- tion, and to congratulate himself on having achieved such a feat with a tiny hook and tackle like a gos- samer. The victory, however, is not always with the angler more frequently the other way ; often at the last moment, just as he is putting out his hand to secure his prize, the trout makes a bolt and is gone, leaving the disappointed artist the picture of blank dismay, and in a very unenviable frame of mind ; indeed, of all the trials of the temper which ATTRACTIONS OF FLY-FISHING. 55 occur in the ordinary course of life, there is none to compare with that of losing a good trout at the last moment, and anglers have various ways of giving vent to their pent-up feelings, depending upon their peculiar idiosyncrasy. But of all the different means of relief there is perhaps none at once so satisfactory and so reprehensible as that referred to by a late great humorist, who, if not an angler, was the friend and associate of anglers : " The flask frae my pocket I poured into the socket, For I was provokit unto the last degree ; And to my way o' thinkin', There's naething for 't but drinkin', When a trout he lies winkin' and lauchiri' at me." Everything combines to render fly-fishing the most attractive of all the branches of the angler's art. The attempt to capture trout which are seen to rise at natural flies is in itself an excitement which no other method possesses. Then the smallness of the hook and the fineness of the tackle necessary for success increase the danger of escape, and conse- quently the excitement and pleasure of the capture ; and for our own part we would rather hook, play, and capture a trout of a pound weight with fly than one of a pound and half with minnow or worm, where the hooks being larger there is less chance of their losing their hold, and the gut being stronger there is less risk of its breaking. Ely-fishing is also the cleanest and most elegant and gentlemanly of 56 ' ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. all the methods of capturing trout. The angler who practises it is saved the trouble of working with worms, of catching, keeping alive, and salting minnows, or searching the river's banks for the natural insect. Armed with a light single-handed rod and a few flies -he may wander from county to county, and kill trout wherever they are to be found. One advantage fly-fishing possesses above any other mode is, that it is equally applicable to all waters, be they silent lakes, slow-running rivers, or roaring streams, rendering it the most valuable of all lures to the angler. In the first chapter of this volume it was mentioned that at least twelve pounds weight of trout might be captured almost any day during the angling season, and for three months it is by fly alone that this must be accomplished. There are few anglers aware of the service the arti- ficial fly is capable of rendering if properly used. James Baillie, whom we have already introduced to the reader, but whose hazel rod and string tied to the top of it are familiar to all those in the habit of frequenting Leader or Gala, maintains himself and family from March to November by fly-fishing ex- clusively. We believe this notable person kills on an average from twelve to fourteen pounds at each excursion, and, being in delicate health, he only fishes for four or five hours a-day. If our amateur friends had to make their living by fly-fishing, there are few of them we would care for dining with often. Besides being the most attractive and valuable, DIFFICULTY OF FLY-FISHERS. 57 artificial fly-fishing is the most difficult branch of the angler's art, and this is another reason of the preference accorded to it, since there is more merit, and therefore more pleasure, in excelling in what is difficult. An opinion, however, has of late years been gaining ground, that worm-fishing in a clear water is more difficult than fly-fishing. This opinion has been supported by Mr. Stoddart, who says : " It may perhaps startle some, and those no novices in the art, when I declare, and offer more- over to prove, that worm-fishing for trout requires essentially more address and experience, as well as a better knowledge of the habits and instincts of the trout, than fly-fishing. I do not, be it observed, refer to the practice of this branch of the art as it is followed in hill-burns and petty rivulets, neither do I allude to it as pursued after heavy rains in flooded and discoloured waters ; my affirmation bears solely upon its practice as carried on during the summer months in the southern districts of Scot- land, when the rivers are clear and low, and the skies bright and warm.""* This is an opinion from which we entirely dis- sent, and though Mr. Stoddart offers to prove his assertion, he does not attempt doing so. That there are fewer worm-fishers who meet with success when the waters are clear, than there are fly-fishers who meet with success when the waters are coloured, we admit. But between fly-fishing when the waters * Stoddart's Angler's Companion, chapter vi. page 106. 58 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. are swollen after rain, or as it is practised among unwary fish, in Highland streams, and fly-fishing in our much-fished southern streams when the waters are clear, we draw the same distinction as Mr. Stoddart does between worm-fishing in a coloured water and a clear one ; and the number of fly-fishers who meet with success under the circumstances just mentioned is exceedingly limited. In trouting with the minnow, worm, or natural fly, the angler has the real fish, worm, or insect, with which to entice the trout, but in fly-fishing he has, by means of a few feathers, to deceive the wary keen-sighted fish, and make it believe that his imi- tation is a natural fly either alive or dead. Any one will at once see that this is the more difficult, and that to prevail upon a trout to seize a reality does not afford room for the exercise of so much skill as to prevail upon the same trout to seize an imitation. Hence fly-fishing, in the same condition of water, requires more address than angling with the worm, or any other known method ; and consequently, fly-fishing in a clear low water is, beyond comparison, the most difficult of all the branches of the angler's art, and should therefore rank highest as sport. This, however, is not an art that can be learned in a day, or so easily as some seem to imagine. A beginner becomes enamoured of fly-fishing. For six weeks he grinds at Walton and all the other authorities upon the subject, and having equipped himself with all the paraphernalia for waging a war ERRORS OF FLY-FISHERS. 59 of extermination upon the finny tribe, lie rolls his hat round with cast after cast of flies, which bear a far greater resemblance to humble-bees than river insects ; and thus accoutred sets out to put his acquired information in practice. Arrived at the river-side he finds his mistake : if the water be swollen, and of the dark porter colour so celebrated among anglers, he may be rewarded with the capture of a few trout; but if it be clear, he plies his lure to the terror and alarm of almost every trout in the water, and returns, if not with an empty basket, at least with a very light one, to confirm the prevailing opinion that it is of no use fishing when the water is clear. If this opinion were correct, it would limit the time when angling could be successfully prac- tised to a few weeks in the season, and sometimes to a few days ; but fortunately for the angler it is not correct, being merely the natural result of a mode of angling which ignores the habits and instincts of the trout. Trout are just as much inclined to feed when the waters are clear as when they are coloured. In a clear water they may be seen rising in immense numbers at the natural insect, showing that they are not inclined to starve in these circumstances. When the water is of a dark colour, it conceals the angler from view, and disguises his tackle, and so he meets with fair sport. If the body of water, though clear, is sufficiently large to conceal him from the sight of the trout, as in Tweed, Tay, and other first-class streams, he may still meet with tolerable 60 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. success. But in all our small rivers and waters, when they are low and clear, not one angler out of twenty meets with much sport, and the reason of it is, because the clearness of the water either allows the trout to see him, or enables them to detect the artificial nature of his lure ; and to meet these diffi- culties as far as possible, is the great object to be aimed at in fly-fishing. The great error of fly-fishing, as usually practised, and as recommended to be practised by books, is that the angler fishes down stream, whereas he should fish up. We believe we are not beyond the mark in stating that ninety-nine anglers out of a hundred fish down with the artificial fly ; they never think of fishing in any other way, and never dream of attri- buting their want of success to it. Yet we are prepared to prove, both in theory and practice, that this is the greatest reason of their want of success in clear waters. In all our angling excursions we have only met one or two amateurs, and a few profes- sionals, who fished up stream with the fly, and used it in a really artistic manner. If the wind is blow- ing up, anglers will occasionally fish up the pools (as for fishing up a strong stream they never think of it) but even then they do not do it pro- perly, and meet with little better success than if they had followed their usual method. They will also, if going to some place up a river, walk up, not fish up to it their plan being to go to the top of a pool, ADVANTAGES OF FISHING UP STREAM. 61 and then fish it down, never casting their line above them at all. We shall now mention in detail the advantages . of fishing up, in order to show its superiority over the old method. The first and greatest advantage is, that the angler is unseen by the trout. Trout, as is well known, keep their heads up stream ; they cannot remain stationary in any other position. This being the case, they see objects above and on both sides of them, but cannot discern anything behind them, so that the angler fishing down will be seen by them twenty yards off, whereas the angler fishing up will be unseen, although he be but a few yards in their rear. The advantages of this it is impossible to over-estimate. "No creatures are more easily scared than trout ; if they see any object moving on the river's bank, they run into deep water, or beneath banks and stones, from which they will not stir for some time. A bird flying across the water, or the shadow of a rod, will sometimes alarm them ; and nothing connected with angling is more certain than this, that if the trout see the angler, they will not take his lure. He may ply his minnow in the most captivating manner, may throw his worm with con- summate skill, or make his flies light softly as a gossamer all will be unavailing if he is seen by his intended victim. The next advantage of fishing up we shall notice, is the much greater probability of hooking a trout 62 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. when it rises. In angling down stream, if a trout rises and the angler strikes, he runs a great risk of pulling the flies straight out of its mouth ; whereas, in fishing up, its back is to him, and he has every chance of bringing the hook into contact with its jaws. This, although it may not seem of great im- portance to the uninitiated, tells considerably when the contents of the basket come to be examined at the close of the day's sport ; indeed no angler would believe the difference unless he himself proved it. Another advantage of fishing up is, that it does not disturb the water so much. Let us suppose the angler is fishing down a fine pool. He, of course, commences at the top, the place wheje the best trout, and those most inclined to feed, invariably lie. After a few casts he hooks one, which immediately runs down, and by its vagaries, leaping in the air, and plunging in all directions, alarms all its neigh- bours, and it is ten to one if he gets another rise in that pool. Fishing up saves all this. The angler commences at the foot, and when he hooks a trout, pulls it down, and the remaining portions of the pool are undisturbed. This is a matter of great im- portance,' and we have frequently, in small streams, taken a dozen trout out of a pool, from which, had we been fishing down, we could not possibly have got more than two or three. The last advantage of fishing up is, that by it the angler can much better adapt the motions of his flies to those of the natural insect. And here it ORDINAKY METHOD OF FISHING. 63 may be mentioned as a rule, that the nearer the motions of the artificial flies resemble those of the natural ones under similar circumstances, the greater will be the prospects of success. Whatever trout take the artificial fly for, it 'is obvious they are much more likely to be deceived by a natural than by an unnatural motion. No method of angling can imitate the hovering flight of an insect along the surface of the water, now just touching it, then flying a short distance, and so on ; and for the angler to attempt by any motion of his hand to give his flies a living appear- ance is mere absurdity. The only moment when trout may mistake the angler's fly for a real one in its flight, is the moment it first touches the water ; and in this respect fishing down possesses equal advantages with fishing up. But this is the only respect, and in order to illustrate this, we shall give a brief description of fly-fishing as usually practised down stream. The angler, then, we shall suppose, commences operations at the head of a pool or stream, and, throwing his flies as far as he can across from where he is standing, raises his rod and brings them gradually to his own side of the water. He then steps down a yard or two, repeats the process, and so on. Having dismissed the idea that the angler can imitate the flight of a living fly along the sur- face of the water, we must suppose that trout take the artificial fly for a dead one, or one which has 64 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. fairly got into the stream and lost all power of re- sisting. A feeble motion of the wings or legs would be the only attempt at escape which a live fly in such a case could make. What then must be the astonishment of the trout, when they see the tiny insect which they are accustomed to seize as it is carried by the current towards them, crossing the stream with the strength and agility of an otter 1 Is it not much more natural to throw the flies up and let them come gently down as any peal insect would do ] In addition to drawing their flies across the stream, some anglers practise what is called playing their flies, which is done by a jerking motion of the wrist, which imparts a similar motion to the fly. Their object in doing this is to create an appearance of life, and thus render their flies more attractive. An appearance of life is certainly a great temptation to a trout, but it may be much better accomplished by dressing the flies of soft materials, which- the water can agitate, and thus create a natural motion of the legs or wings of the fly, than by dragging them by jumps of a foot at a time across and up a roaring stream. Trout are not accustomed to see small insects making such gigantic efforts at escape, and therefore it is calculated to awaken their suspicions. We believe that all fly-fishers fishing down must have noticed, that apart from the moment of alight- ing, they get more rises for the first few yards of LARGER TROUT CAUGHT BY FISHING UP. 65 their flies' course than in the whole of the remainder ; and that when thsir flies fairly breast the stream they seldom get a rise at all. The reason of this is clear : for the first few feet after the angler throws his flies across the stream they swim with the current ; the moment, however, he begins to describe his semicircle across the water, they present an unnatural appearance, which the trout view with distrust. Experienced fly-fishers, following the old method, who have observed this, and are aware of the great importance of the moment their flies alight, cast very frequently, only allowing their flies to float down a few feet, when they throw again. We have seen some Tweedside adepts fill capital baskets in this way ; but, as we have before stated, it will only succeed when the water is coloured, or when there is a body of clear water sufficiently large to conceal the angler from view ; and even then he may have much better sport by fishing up. The angler draw- ing his flies across and up stream will catch trout, and this is the strongest evidence that trout are not such profound philosophers as the notions of some would lead us to suppose. But though he does catch trout, they are in general the very smallest. Indeed, the advantages of fishing up are in nothing more apparent than in the superior size of the trout captured. We believe they will average nearly * double the size of those caught with the same flies fishing down, and though generally not so large as those taken with the worm, they are not much Jf 66 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. behind them, and we almost invariably kill a few larger trout in a river with the fly than with the worm. Though our remarks in this chapter have princi- pally reference to angling in small rivers, where fishing up is essential to success, the same arguments hold good in every size or colour of water in a less degree, as even though the trout cannot see the angler, the other advantages which we have men- tioned are still in his favour. If we were fishing a large river when it was dark- coloured, and required to wade deep, we should fish down, because the fatigue of wading up would, under such circumstances, become a serious drawback. In such a case we fish in the following manner : Throwing our flies, partly up and partly across from where, we are standing, we allow them to swim down a yard or two, when we cast again, never allowing them to go below that part of the stream opposite us. But though the angler gets over the ground as quickly this way, and casts as often, as if he were fishing up, yet he has not the same chance, because if a trout catches sight of his flies just as he is lifting them, their sudden abstraction may deter it from taking them on their again alighting ; whereas in fishing up the angler casts a yard or two further up every time, so that every trout may see his flies at the moment they alight. The reader must not suppose that fishing up is all that is necessary for success ; on the contrary, DIFFICULTY OF FISHING UP. 67 the angler may throw his flies up stream, and know less of the art of fly-fishing, and catch fewer trout, than his neighbour who is fishing down. The mere fact of an angler throwing his flies up stream is no proof that he is a fly-fisher. Of those who fish down stream some catch more and some less, and in like manner with those fishing up, one may catch, three times as many as another, depending upon the par- ticular method they adopt ; and unless the reader pays strict attention to the details which will be mentioned subsequently, we are afraid he will not derive much benefit. Fishing up is much more dif- ficult than fishing down, requiring more practice, and a better acquaintance with the habits of the trout ; and we believe that a mere novice would, in a large water, catch more trout by fishing down than up, because the latter requires more nicety in cast- ing. But to attain anything like eminence in fly- fishing, the angler must fish up, and all beginners should persevere in it, even though they meet with little success at first, and they will be amply re- warded for their trouble. The only circumstance in which fishing down has the advantage of fishing up, is when the water is so dark or deep that the fish, would not see, or if they did see, would not have time to seize the flies, unless they moved at a slower rate than the stream. We think that this rarely applies to angling for river trout, as when inclined to feed upon flies they are generally on the outlook for them, but it does 68 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. apply to salmon and sea-trout fishing. Both these fish lie in strong deep water, and as they are not accustomed to feed upon flies, they are not on the outlook for them ; so that if the salmon-fisher were to throw his flies up stream, they would come down at such a rate that the salmon would never see them. Besides which, it is obvious that whatever salmon take the angler's fly for, they cannot take it for anything they have seen before, and therefore there is no reason for supposing they can detect any- thing unnatural in its motion. We have devoted this chapter principally to the errors of fly-fishing as generally practised, and we hope we have succeeded in convincing the reader of the truth of our observations ; but as we have fre- quently endeavoured in vain by viva voce demon- stration to persuade anglers to fish up, we have no doubt numbers will adhere to their own way. As no amount of mere argument will convince such, we offer to find two anglers, who, in a water suitable for showing the superiority of fishing up, will be more successful than any three anglers fishing down after the ordinary method. We have just given the same reasons for fishing up stream as in our first edition, because upon this point there can be nothing new ; and are as ready as ever to find anglers who are prepared to do battle in their behalf, on the terms just stated ; but while one or two have come forward to dispute the theory, none have accepted our challenge and come forward OBJECTIONS TO FISHING UP. 69 to dispute the practice. One reviewer the only objector we recollect of who gives a reason says, " that so long as streams run down, carrying the food of the fish with them, so long should anglers fish down," This seems said purely for the sake of appearing to give a reason ; and while his premises are undeniably correct, we entirely dissent from his conclusions. Streams certainly run down and carry the food of the trout with them, but along with that food they do not carry an apparition in the shape of an angler with rod and line upon the bank ; and as nothing will familiarise them to such an apparition, we draw the conclusion that that apparition had better keep out of sight and fish up stream. More- over, the fact that the natural food floats down is anything but a reason that the artificial lure in imi- tation of that food should be pulled up. We must confess, however, that fishing up stream with fly has not been adopted by a large portion of the angling community, and that for various reasons. In spite of the strong manner in which we cautioned our readers about the difficulties of fishing up stream, numbers who read the argu- ments for it, and were struck with the soundness of the theory, thought they saw at a glance the cause of their previous want of success, and that in future the result would be different. Having equipped themselves a la Practical Angler, and even taken a copy of that excellent work in their pockets, they started with high hopes on their new career, but the 70 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. result was not different, and after one or two trials with, no better success, not a few have condemned fishing up stream as erroneous and ourselves as impostors ; though we imagine the fault lies with themselves. We have met anglers fishing down stream and this is no supposititious case, but one which we have seen over and over again with a copy of this volume in their pockets, who com- plained that they had got everything herein recom- mended and were getting no sport. On pointing out to them that there was one important mistake they were committing, in fishing down stream instead of up, they stated that when they came to a pool they fished it up that is to say, they first walked down the pool and showed themselves to the trout, and then commenced to fish for them. * ' The trout within yon wimplin' burn, Glides swift, a silver dart ; And safe beneath the shady thorn, Defies the angler's art." John Younger objects to this as incorrect, but we rather think that Burns is right, and the angler wrong ; as it is evident the poet alludes to a trout that has caught sight of the angler, and safe he is, at least pro tern., as our pupils who first frighten the fish by walking down a pool-side, and then fish up it, will find to their cost. Others object to fishing up stream, as requiring too frequent casting, being too fatiguing, and because they have been accustomed to fish down, and would SUMMARY OF THE ART. 71 prefer fishing in that way, even though they do not catch so many trout. If any angler prefers catching five pounds weight of trout fishing down stream, to ten pounds weight fishing up, we may wonder at his taste, but it is no concern of ours. Our duty is to point out how most trout can be captured in a given time ; and that is by fishing up stream, and such is now the method adopted by all the best fly- fishers of the day. Those anglers who have adopted fishing up stream are principally those who were adepts in the old system, and who were possessed of all the nicety in casting, and other knowledge so essential to successful up-stream fishing. The art of fly-fishing or fishing of any kind may be summed up in knowing what to fish with, and how, when, and where to fish. We have rather transposed the arrangement, and taken part of the second division first, because it is necessary to estab- lish whether the angler should fish up or down, before considering what he is to fish with, different tackle being necessary for the former method. In the subsequent chapters we shall return to the pro- per arrangement, and shall complete in its proper place the division already half finished. CHAPTEE Y. FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. 'HE practice of using artificial flies has un- doubtedly had its origin in the necessity for imitating insects, which cannot be used in their natural state. From the first rude attempt at fly-making of some in- genious angler, the art has gone on progress- 6 ing, the number of imitations always increas- ing, and the prevalent opinion always being that, in order to fish successfully, the angler must use an imitation of one or other of the natural insects on the water at the time. In spite of the exertions of Mr. "Wilson and Mr. Stoddart to incul- cate an opposite theory, this opinion is still held by the great majority of anglers in Scotland, while in England it is all but universal. Anglers holding these views rejoice in the pos- session of as many different varieties of flies as would stock a fishing-book, all of which they con- sider imitations of so many real insects, and classify under the heads of the different months when these appear. They have a fly for the morning, another ODD NOTIONS RESPECTING FLIES. 73 for noon, and another for the evening of every day in the year, and spend a great deal of time in taking off one fly, because it is a shade too dark, and a second because it is a shade too light, and a third to give place to the imitation of some insect which has just made its appearance on the water. During the summer months it is supposed that the varieties of insects are reckoned by the thousand, and we have seen several dozens of different kinds on the water at one time, all of which are greedily devoured by the trout. Those anglers who think trout will take no fly unless it is an exact imitation of some one of the immense number of flies they are feeding on, must suppose that they know to a shade the colour of every fly on the water, and can detect the least deviation from it an amount of entomo- logical knowledge that would put to shame the angler himself, and a good many naturalists to boot. This opinion arises from the supposition that trout will not take anything readily unless they are accus- tomed to feed upon it, and consequently that they will not take a fly unless it has been on the water sufficiently long to allow them to become acquainted with it. Nothing can be more erroneous than this. Trout will take worms and grubs which they have never seen before. They will also take parr-tail readily, and they can never have seen it before ; and in like manner with other things ; and there is no reason why fly should be an exception. We do not think it at all likely that trout can 74 FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. see the colour of a fly very distinctly. The worst light of all for seeing its colour is when it is placed between you and tha sky, as the trout see it. And when the fly is rolled round by every current, and sometimes seen through the medium of a few feet of running water, the idea that they can detect its colour to a shade is highly improbable. Even granting they could, there is no reason for supposing they would reject it on that account. Flies of the same kind differ so much in colour that we could show the reader a May-fly almost black, and a May- fly almost yellow, and of all the intermediate shades. It is singular inconsistency, that anglers scrupu- lously exact about a shade of colour draw their flies across and up stream in a way in which no natural insect was ever seen moving, as if a trout could not detect an alteration in the motion much more easily than a deviation in the colour of a fly. The argument brought by anglers in support of these views is, that having fished unsuccessfully all the morning, they changed their flies and had good sport, or that when they were getting nothing they met with some celebrated local angler, who gave them the fly peculiar to the district, after which they met with success. We think that on most of these occasions the trout take better, not because the new fly is more to their liking, but because as the day advances they are more inclined to feed. We have frequently proved this by re-changing to our flies which at first proved unsuccessful, and FLIES. 75 have almost invariably found they were as killing as their predecessors. Other causes also operate. The thread of gut on which the fly is dressed is of more importance than the fly itself ; and those pro- fessional anglers who haunt most southern streams, and whose " fail-me-never" is the only fly suitable for the water because they expect to be well paid for it take care to have their flies dressed on fine gut. Such a difference does the gut make, that if an angler will take two threads of gut of the same thickness, but one of a glossy white colour, and the other clear and transparent, and dress two flies upon them exactly alike, the fly dressed on the clear gut will kill two trout for one which the fly dressed on the white gut will. The shape of the fly will also make a great difference, and really practical anglers, such as all those who make their living by it are, do not put a third of the feathers on their flies that some town-made ones have. We have frequently got flies, which, we were assured, were exact imitations of some fly on the water at the time, and which the donors were cer- tain would kill more trout than any other, but on trying them we did not find them so deadly as those we were using ; and they killed quite as well, and sometimes better, two months before the natural fly came on the water, or two months after it was gone. We think it just possible that when a large fly, such as the green drake, remains a long time on the 76 FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. water, trout may recognise it, and when the waters are dark coloured and there is a strong breeze of wind, take an imitation of it more readily than any other. But in our own experience we have never found this to be the case ; and though we have fre- quently tried this fly so celebrated on English streams we have never found it nearly so deadly as our usual flies, even when the water was coloured ; and in clear water it failed entirely, as all large 'flies will, for the obvious reason that their size enables the trout to detect their artificial nature, further- more, we have killed more trout with this imitation in the month of May, before the real insects had made their appearance, than in June, when the water was swarming with them, which we ascribe to the circumstance that trout will take a larger fly in May than in June. This opinion would not have been maintained so long, but that there is at first sight a degree of plausibility about it, and that it does not to any great extent interfere with the successful practice of fly-fishing. What is meant for an imitation of a particular fly may occasionally do good service ; not because the trout see any resemblance between it and the fly it is intended to imitate, but because, if the size and colour are suitable, it will just kill as well as any other. And we believe the angler who has a different fly for every day in the season will kill nearly as many trout as the angler who adheres to three or four varieties the whole season through ; BEST COLOURS FOR FLIES. 77 but he is proceeding upon an erroneous principle, and losing both labour and time. That trout sometimes take more readily flies of one colour than another is certain, and the reason of their doing so affords room for a great deal of ingenious speculation, but is exceedingly difficult to ascertain satisfactorily. We think that to some extent a certain colour is more deadly, because it is more readily seen. In clear waters we have rarely found a black fly surpassed by any other, and in such circumstances a black fly is very easily seen. In dark waters a yellow-bodied fly, or one of dingy white colour, takes readily, being easily seen. And on Tweedside, in the month of July, just after sunset, a bright yellow fly is held in great repute, and such is more likely to attract atten- tion than any other. Mere caprice, however, and love of variety, may be the main reasons why the trout prefer one colour to another. A rule to be guided by on this point is of little use, as the angler can always regulate the colour of his flies by practice ; and in practice it has been proved beyond doubt, that a black, brown, red, and dun- coloured fly, used together, and varied in size according to circumstances, will at any time kill as well, and even better, than the most elaborate col- lection arranged for every month in the year. If trout are at all inclined to rise, one or other of the above will be found inviting. It is quite clear that whatever the angler's opinion with regard to flies 78 FLIES, ELY-DRESSING, ETC. may be whether he believes that he must have an imitation of some insect on the water at the time, that he must have a fly of the same colour as the majority of those on the water, or with ourselves holds neither of these opinions ; if he has four flies such as those mentioned above, he cannot be very far off the mark, as these comprise all the leading colours of which insects generally are. The opinion that it is necessary to imitate the particular fly on the water at the time has recently received the weight of Mr. Francis Francis' support, who in advocating what may be called the English theory gives a sort of side- wipe to Scotch anglers the drift of his remarks being, that though a small assort- ment of flies may do well enough in Scotch streams where little fishing goes on and anglers count their takes by the dozen, it will not answer in the mucl:- fished streams on the other side of the Border, where anglers count their takes by the brace. If Mr. Francis' views as to an exact imitation being necessary in English streams be correct, which we very much doubt, he will require to find some other reason for its being unnecessary in Scotland than this. In com- paring the severity of the fishing in Scotch and English streams it must be borne in mind that the former are, as a rule, open to the public, and that the latter, as a rule, are preserved and fished only by a favoured few. If Mr. Francis will point out any stream in England, in which he thinks it worth while to throw a fly for trout, that is more and better fished than Tweed and its tributaries, we shall be TKOUT'S IDEAS OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 79 N very much surprised. And on behalf of Scotch anglers we repudiate with scorn the bare idea that it requires less skill to catch a Scotch trout than an English one, or that the former in any way receives an inferior education as regards flies, etc, to his English brother. In fact, we believe that in the before-men- tioned streams the education of the inhabitants is as superior to that of the inhabitants of English streams as the education of the people of the one country is admitted to be to that of the other ; and supposing the most accomplished believer in the English theory aye, even Mr. Erancis himself engaged on a mile of Tweed along with twenty or thirty Galashiels weavers (by no means an unusual number), we question if his basket at the finish would illustrate very strongly the superiority of his theory and practice. We have met English anglers even in Scotland counting their takes by the brace, and not in much danger of going wrong in their reckoning either. Having relieved our feelings of this protest on behalf of Scotch anglers and Scotch trout, we must now consider what it is necessary to imitate, or what do trout take, or rather mistake, the artificial fly for. As before stated, we believe that, deceived by an appearance of life, they take it for what it is intended to imitate a fly or some other aquatic insect. In proof of this, artificial flies are not of much use unless the trout are at the time feeding on the natural insect. And an artificial fly will kill twenty trout for one which the feathers composing it, rolled round the hook without regard to shape, will. Nay, more ; a neatly- 80 FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. made, natural-looking fly will, where trout are shy, kill three trout for one which a clumsy fly will'; and a fly with the exposed part of the hook taken off will raise more trout than a fly with the same left oil In the first case, the trout see no resem- blance in form to anything they are accustomed to feed upon, and, unless very hungry, decline to seize it. In the second case, the resemblance to nature not being 'so complete in the one fly as in the other, fewer trout are deceived by it. The third case shows that trout can detect that a hook is an unnatural appendage. The great point, then, in fly-dressing, is to make the artificial fly resemble the natural insect in shape, and the great characteristic of all river insects is extreme lightness and neatness of form. Our great objection to the flies in common use is, that they are much too bushy ; so much so, that there are few flies to be got in the tackle- shops which we could use with any degree of confidence in clear water. Every possible advantage is in favour of a lightly- dressed fly ; it is more like a natural insect ; it falls lighter on the water, and every angler knows the importance of making his fly fall gently, and there being less material about it, the artificial nature of that material is not so easily detected; and also, as the hook is not so much covered with feathers, there is a much better chance of hooking a trout when it rises. We wish to impress very strongly upon the reader the necessity of avoiding bulky flies. SP1DEE FLIES. 81 The artificial flies in commom use may be divided into two classes. There is first the winged fly, which alone, properly speaking, merits the appella- tion ; and there is the palmer hackle or spider, by which last name we mean to call it, believing that if it resembles anything in the insect tribe, it is a spider. As a means of capturing trout, we rank them higher than the winged imitations. When trout are taking, winged flies will answer very well ; and sometimes, but very rarely, we have found them more killing than spiders. But in the summer months, when trout are well fed and become lazy, or where they are much fished for, and become shy, we have found spiders much more deadly than the most tempting winged fly that can be made. Nor is it necessary to go very much out of the way to seek a reason for this : the hook is better concealed, and if made of sufficiently soft materials, the water agitates the feathers, and gives them a life-like appearance, which has a wonderful effect, and is of itself a sufficient reason for trout preferring them, without supposing, as some do, that spiders are greater rarities than flies, with a variety of other fine-spun theories. By universal consent, feathers seem to have been fixed upon as the most suitable materials for imitat- ing flies. Some years ago gutta percha wings were tried, but in every respect they are inferior. The selection of proper feathers requires some care ; they should always be taken from the birds when in their G 82 FLIES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. full plumage, which, is usually about Christmas. Among those considered most necessary are hackles, which are usually taken from the neck of the com- mon cock. It is very difficult to procure them of the right colour, and still more so to procure them of the right shape. In a proper hackle the fibres should be longest at the root end, and taper gradually towards the point. It is not one cock out of twenty whose hackles merit the attention of the fly-dresser. The hackle generally plays a very conspicuous part in the construction of trouting flies. The spider or hackle fly is made of it entirely, and in other flies it is used to imitate the legs of the insect. We, however, think the cock-hackle by no means deserving of so much attention as is bestowed upon it, being too stiff and wiry to represent the legs of an insect, and we prefer hen-hackles, or still better, the small feathers taken from the neck or outside of the wings of a variety of small birds. But these latter are not always to be had of the colour wanted, and cock-hackles are very convenient to fall back upon, but should be selected as soft in the fibre as possible. Amongst those most serviceable to the angler are the small feathers taken from the outside of the wings, as also from the neck and shoulders of the following birds : The starling, landrail, dotterel, mavis, grey plover, golden plover, partridge, and grouse. Of the foregoing, we consider the feathers taken from the cock starling the most valuable of all to the angler. They have a rich glossy\>lack, which FEATHERS FOR MAKING SPIDERS. 83 no other feathers possess, and we always use them in place of the black cock-hackle. Next to them we rank the feathers of a reddish -brown colour taken from the outside of the wing of the landrail, the only feathers which take the place of the red cock- hackle ; and as it is impossible to get any quantity of these sufficiently small, we frequently find it necessary to have recourse to red hackles. The feathers of the dotterel are also held in high esteem, but all those just mentioned may with advantage be substituted for the hackle in the for- mation of all trouting flies and spiders. Their supe- riority consists in their much greater resemblance to the legs of an insect, and their extreme softness. So soft are they, that when a spider is made of one of them and placed in the water, the least motion will agitate and impart a singularly life-like appearance to it, whereas it would have no effect upon a cock- hackle. Spiders dressed of very soft feathers are more suitable for fishing up than for fishing down, as, if drawn against the stream, it runs the fibres alongside of the hook, and all resemblance to an in- sect is destroyed. Killing spiders may be made of all the feathers we have mentioned, but the three following are all we consider necessary : 1st. The Black Spider. This is made of the small feather of the, cock starling, dressed wi brown' silk, aSd is, upon the^ whole, the most killing imitation we know. We were first shown it by 84- FJJES, FLY-DRESSING, ETC. James Baillie, and have never been without one on our line ever since. 2d. The Eed Spider should be made of the small feather taken from the outside of the wing of the landrail, dressed with yellow silk, and is deserving of a very high rank, particularly in coloured water. 3d. The Dun Spider. This should be n)ade of the small soft dun or ash-coloured feather, taken from the outside of the wing of the dotterel. This bird is unfortunately very scarce ; but a small feather may be taken from the inside of the wing of the starling, which will make an excellent sub- stitute. The only objection to spiders is, that the feathers are so soft that the trout's teeth break them off, and after catching a dozen or two of trout, little is left of them but the bare dressing, rendering it necessary for the angler to change them ; and if the trout are taking -readily, this has to be repeated two or three times a-day. For this reason we always use winged flies, when they take equally well, which, if well dressed, will last a whole day or even two. For making flies, in addition to the feathers before men- tioned, the wings of the following birds are neces- sary : Corn-bunting, lark, chaffinch, woodcock, and landrail. These are used to make the wings of the flies, but dubbing of som^ sort is also necessary to form, the body, and for this purpose there is nothing better than the fur of a hare's ear, or, as it is usually called in Scotland, "hare-lug." A good hare- lug THE MOST KILLING FLIES. 85 will make body for five or six gross of flies of all colours, from dingy white to dark black, but the mixed dark fur is the best. The fur of the water- rat is also serviceable to the fly-dresser, and is pecu- liarly suitable for small flies. The three following are the winged flies to which we are most partial : 1st. A woodcock wing with a single turn of a red hackle, or landrail feather, dressed with yellow silk, freely exposed on the body. For fishing in dark-coloured waters, this fly may be dressed with scarlet thread. 2d. A hare-lug body, with a corn-bunting or'/)' chaffinch wing. A woodcock wing may also be put \s\fe -", /rvt'"':r /^S -^~ -o, ** - NL^a- ^?sft' : STRAY LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOKS OF SEVERAL ANGLERS. EDITED BY H. CHOLMOKDELEY PENNELL, Author of " The Book of the Pike," etc. In Crown 8vo, Price 6s. DUM CAPIMUS CAPIMUR. Editor. IRISH LOACH-TROLLING. By E. N. Murta, M.D. ' A PLEA FOR TOURISTS. By Mr. Car- ruthers. A SEASIDE YARN. By N. B. Lord. A STREAM IN ARDEN. By T. West- wood. ENTOMOLOGY OF BAIT. By William Pin- kerton, F.S.A., F.A.S.L. EARLY AND LATE SALMON RIVERS. By W. J. Fennell, late H.M. Inspector of Fisheries. BAGNALL'S BUNGLES. By H. C. Pen- nell. AN ANGLER AT THE ANTIPODES. By H. R. Francis, M.A. " SUN-SPEARING." By Edward N. Murta. HEY FOR COQUET! By Thomas West- wood. A TORPEDO AT ONE END OF THE LINE. By Jonathan Couch, F.R.S. CARP GOSSIP. By William Pinkerton. THE SILURUS GLANIS. By Dr. Gunther. FLY-FISHING BYNIGHTLIGHT. By Edward N. Murta. A LAY OF THE SEA. By T. Westwood. THE PUFF PISCATORIAL. Editor. DEESIDE JOTTINGS. By Ed ward N. Murta. SPRJNG FISHING IN LOCH ARD. By Alex- ander Russel, author of "The Salmon." CURIOSITIES OF ANGLING LITERATURE. By Greville Fennell, Esq. RAMBLES BY TWEED. By Thomas Tod Stoddart, author of "The Angler's Companion," etc. HISTORY OF ANGLING FROM BEFORE THE DELUGE. By Jonathan Couch. FLY-FISHING, etc. By W. C. Stewart, author of "The Practical Angler." FISHING GOSSIP; OR STRAY LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOKS OF SEVERAL ANGLERS. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. " Mr. Pennell, who has wit, fancy, and pleasant reading wherewith to bait what books and essays he may write upon his favourite pastime, ought to be as skilful in catching readers as no doubt he is in catching fish. He has written a clever book of poems and a clever book of fairy tales, and he is almost or altogether the cleverest and pleasantest of living writers upon fishing. Of the book before us he is editor ; con- trbuting to the common basket an opening anecdotical sketch anent gudgeon and one or two other light papers. His colleagues of the rod and pen are men of mark among anglers and students on fish, for the volume contains papers by Mr. Fennell, H.M. Inspector of Fisheries; Mr. Frank Buckland, the public conservator of salmon ; Mr. Alexander Russel, who has written the best salmon book ; Mr. H. 0. Francis, and Mr. W. C. Stewart, learned in fly-fishing ; Mr. "W". B. Lord, learned in sea-fish ; Mr. Thomas Tod Stoddart, learned in fish of Scotland ; Dr. Albert Gunther, Curator of the Ichthyological Department of the British Museum, learned in all fish ; Mr. Thomas Westwood, author of the Bibliotlieca Piscatoria, and of that monograph upon Walton, 4 The Chronicle of the Compleat Angler,' which makes him prime minister to the Prince of all the Anglers. Mr. Jonathan Couch and Mr. William Pinkerton also contribute. The other contributors are Dr. E. N. Murta, Mr. Greville Fennell, and Mr. Walter Carruthers. They produce among them a lively, readable book of anglers' gossip, with a breath of out-of-doors in it, and the good humour that is one of the signs of the gentle craft. They deserve to come in contact with FISHING GOSSIP Opinions of the Press Continued. none but the good-humoured, whether among critics or among owners of fishing streams. And so, instead of quoting any of the fishing talk and anecdote, practical and literary, here is a nudge in season to the gentlemen who own good salmon rivers in the Highlands, being a plea for tourists by Mr. Walter Carruthers. " Examiner. " In addition to the sterling value of the information given in this work, the numerous anecdotes introduced in these papers, and the admirable manner in which they are related, are calculated to render it quite as acceptable to the general reader, as it will be useful to the large and daily increasing number of amateurs, for whose special benefit it has been compiled." Observer. " Here is gossip, and better than gossip, in prose and verse, about verything connected with every kind of angling sentiment and practice, scenery and inns, lake and river, home and foreign, salt water and fresh, natural history both of fish and of insects, lures, implements, history, and literature. The cockney angler who lolls in a punt all day, accompanied by young ladies and other refreshments, and the ardent adventurer who toils and climbs, remote, unfriended, solitary, slow, in Skye or Ross, from misty morn to rainy eve, will here find matter to their taste, though the former class may read of the latter with compassion, and the latter of the former with contempt." Scotsman. "Ample variety and most agreeable reading will be found in the volume of * Fishing Gossip' issued under the editorship of Mr. Pennell, who himself contributes three out of the twenty-four desultory ' stray leaves' which it comprises, the remainder being from the note-books of well-known anglers and naturalists. In a list, however, where all are more or less celebrated, where all seem to have exerted their talents ungrudgingly for the common advantage, it is almost invidious to select particular names ; and if work alone were the test of fame, we are by no means sure, judging from this collection, that one or two of those who may now possibly be considered last should not in fact be first. "- Sporting Gazette. FISHING GOSSIP Opinion* of the Press Continued. "We are indebted to Mr. Pennell for the present collection of articles by various authors, qualified for the most part, as their con- tributions show, to write upon the subject in hand. This blending into a whole of the thoughts, opinions, and experiences of many in- dividuals, is of far greater value than the voluminous and egotistical effusions in which sportsmen, without any particular qualification to write a book, frequently indulge, inasmuch as we obtain the real metal with as small a quantity as possible of alloy." London Review. "Mr. Pennell, the cessation of whose agreeable labours upon the Fisherman's Magazine we have never ceased to regret, has given us here a pleasant melange in the shape of a series of papers by the con- tributors to that magazine, and many of which papers originally appeared in it, but which have been considerably amended, re-written, and added to for their publication in the present volume, while a small proportion of them are novelties. Amongst the pleasantest and most noteworthy articles are, 'Loach-trolling, by E. N. Murta,' and a very liberal ' Plea for Tourists ' on the part of Mr. W. Carruthers, who puts in a good word for the tourists, and thinks it hard, as no doubt it is, that salmon rivers, or portions of them, should be shut up for months while the fish are on the move and the lessees elsewhere. Mr. Westwood's ' Stream in Arden ' is a charming piece of blank verse, which murmurs along as poetically and sweetly as the most musical stanzas of Moore or Byron. We have noticed it before, but it does not weary of repetition. * Spring Fishing on Loch Ard ' is a very useful, and of course well-written article by the talented author of 'The Salmon,' Mr. Kussel ; and perhaps as good a paper as any in the book is that upon ' Curiosities in Angling Literature, ' by our friend Greville Fennell a quaint collection of oddities truly. In fact, the papers generally, with a few exceptions, are decidedly above the average of talent commonly met with in angling literature, and we are sure will afford to their readers much agreeable mental pabulum. "- Field. [Over. Duodecimo, Price 2s. THE ANGLER'S GUIDE TO THE RIVERS AND LAKES IN THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND WITH THE BYE-LAWS AS TO BOUNDARIES AND CLOSE-TIMES. BY ANDREW YOUNG. " Fitted to be exceedingly useful ; indeed, is complete as a Guide." Blackwood's Magazine. Small 16mo, Price Is. 6d. HINTS TO ANGLERS (SOUTH OF SCOTLAND), ILLUSTRATED WITH MAPS. BY ADAM DRYDEN. " Bound up with admirable maps representing the Tweed and its tributaries ; the streams flowing into the Solway, the Clyde and its constituents, etc." Courant. " An accomplished amateur, thoroughly versant'in the gentle art. entitled 9 from experience to speak with authority on all that relates tc it. ' ' Dumfries Courier. " Apart from its hints on fly, worm, minnow, and salmon-roe fishing, it contains a vast deal of information as to the best fishing rivers and streams, in the south of Scotland, from the Forth to the Solway. To the tourist, especially, who is bent on using the ' rod, ' it is all but indispensable. By aid of the maps alone he will guide himself unerringly to the most outlandish streams and tributaries of the Forth, the Clyde, the Solway, and the Tweed." Stirling Observer. EDINBURGH : ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK YA 012^9 M313069