JUNE, loveliest of the Summer months, introduces to the notice of
anglers a large and daily increasing number of the insect tribe;
"variety may be charming," but the most expert and knowing of anglers
will now occasionally be somewhat puzzled in making a selection of
flies adapted to suit the capricious whims, or fastidious appetite of
the Trout, now in their prime, fat, strong, and somewhat satiated by a
succession of dainty morsels. Now is the time to rise with, or rather
indeed before the lark, and try your luck with the creeper and stone
fly, you may begin to fish with either as soon as you can see to put
them on the hook, and always bear in mind that the early morn is the
best part of the day for these baits, you also have a good chance again
in the evening, but in the middle of the day they are, upon the whole,
but indifferently good; and the small fly will generally be found to
answer better,--and frequently the worm proves destructive when the day
is hot, and the water low. It is a good plan to procure your May-flies
and creepers during the day or evening preceding that on which you
intend using them, searching for them in the morning when you want to
fish is not quite pleasant. You may do a great deal of execution with
the small flies just now. Trout glutted with the May-fly and creeper,
take them well on cloudy and windy days. Should rain fall at this
season, after the water has been low for some time, Trout will take a
minnow exceedingly well.
JULY.--The scorching suns of Summer are upon us, and the vivid rays of
the great luminary have a powerful effect upon all creatures, and upon
the finny tribe in particular. The water during this month is often so
low and fine, that artificial fly fishing is labour in vain, and
provided it is not, fish have become so shy and cautious in the
selection of their food, that it is a difficult matter to offer for
their acceptance anything artificial which they will take freely. A
well scoured worm, maggot, gentle or natural fly, offered to them in an
artistic way, seldom however fails to attract their notice,--of natural
flies the Flesh Fly is the best. Evening fishing, towards dusk, with
the brown and white Moths, and also with the white Bustard, may be
pursued with success; you may fish with the Bustard (which you will
find performing aerial evolutions over the meadows in a fine evening)
the whole night through, and though perhaps you cannot see the fish
(which is generally a good one) rise, you must always strike quickly,
yet gently, when you feel him--use a May fly hook. If you can find any
May-flies, the fish will now take them again very greedily, during the
last fortnight of this month very few fish can be taken under any
circumstances with either natural or artificial flies, the fish are too
fat and indolent to take the trouble to rise. A well scoured maggot on
a bright hot day tempts them best, they will take that when flies and
all other baits have proved a failure.
The Spring and Autumn fishing are easy enough, but the Summer tests the
Angler,--and
"Who then his finest skill and art must ply,
And all devices, natural and artificial try,
For now the Trout becomes an epicure indeed,
And only on the daintiest baits and flies will feed."
AUGUST.--The same Flies as in July, with the addition of the little Red
and Black Ant Flies, which usually appear about the 10th or 12th of
this month; observe that from the 12th to the end of the month, fish
take the fly much better than they have done--they are on the move
again.
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER.--Use the same Flies as in Spring, the willow fly
in September must however be added to the list of Blues, Duns, and
Browns. About the middle of October I deem it high time to lay aside
the Trout Rod, let "the gentle angler" for a brief space bid adieu to
his favourite piscatorial haunts, in doing so perhaps he may call to
mind the farewell of the Tyne fisher to his favourite streams, from a
work printed for Emmerson Charnly, at Newcastle, in 1824.
Mine own sweet stream! thy rugged shores are stripped of all
their vesture sheen,
And dark December's fury wars where grace and loveliness have
been,
Stream of my heart! I cannot tread thy shores so bleak and
barren now,
They seem as if thy joys were dead, and cloud with care my
anxious brow.
In reference to the above, I must observe that very few anglers will
think of fishing during the winter months; at the conclusion of the
second week in October, the Trout Rod ought to be carefully stowed
away. The angler should by all means refrain from killing Trout so
close upon the spawning season, besides they are becoming as food quite
worthless. Truly "Othello's occupations gone."