ANGLING NOTES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14916, 14 March 1914, Page 2

ANGLING NOTES.

OUT WITH AUGUSTUS.

(Bt "Iron Bi~_.")

(srECIAIXT WRITTEN" FOB "THE PRESS.'*)

At the moment I rejoice exceedingly, for after long absence Augustus has returned to mc, brown-faced and very full of beans. I do not mean that Augustus has grown into a larger size of waistcoat, or that he betrayed any undue fondness for a vegetable diet, but certainly he seemed in unusually high spirits while temporarily disabling my glad right hand; go now having maue all this most beautifully plain, I can speak of tho day when again we shared our sport, and once more debated tho good old nearlyforgotten subjects on which we shall never agree. Tlie long-lost ono had brought a gi_, whereof the fiery steed was busily devouring mv best crimson rambler roso from the end of the verandah, but I could not notice a little thing like that; and Augustus had it "We will 70 fishing instantly, without further delay." Truly I was delighted to get him back at any prico, and told him so; whereat doubtless ho would have blushed, had ho not been co brown and stored with beans. Tho bridge at Clandeboye, spanned a rippling width of stream, and closo to the pile timbers lay a dozen goodly trout; but overhead the ruii was clear, so for a timo wo caught not any of thoso desirable fish: neither there, nor in the pool above, or even in the next upward mile of river. We could count scores of them, stationed lazily beneath drooping willow boughs, apparently unwilling to disturb their dark shadows on the clear gravel-bed, and fly after fly tempted the rise which never quite resulted. Augustus was not pleased, he said—with variations—''These trout cf yours are not a sporting sort. At my place by Te Kuiti I have rainbows trained far better than this. For such a.s you have here wo must go 'dapping' with a common or garden fly."" Vain was my remonstrance,, ''Augustus, this dapping plan w not strictly according to the dry-fly Art. with a capital A." As ono might put it, I was hurried out of the famous though much too "narrow way," nnd we went forthwith to snare base bluebottles, wiio sunned themselves ou a cart-shed at the riverside.

One lives to learn, and now I \vm taught how to catch the same elusive blow-fly with my naked hand, as it f „t I basking in the hot March sunshine on ! the cart-shed wall. It appeared that the proper preparation was to wet that poor bare hand,—ask the nearest boy how to do this, and observe hi.s ready use of tho toimue presented him hy kindly Nature—then set the prepared hand on edge just behind the fly. and suddenly make a fast fell swoop, fehut up your fist quickly, and you have him, his wings have stuck *to the wetted surface; but if he feels too lively lor sate transfer to the waiting box, there is yet another secret wnv. Said my dear teacher: '"If the lioggar keeps buzzing, relax your hand so that you can blow on him hard, and he will soon be donny enough to handle." He illustrated his advice by a long single breath, and it was enough, the fly crawled tamely within his palm. A round tobacco-box was emptied of its contents, corresponding notches cut in the. edges «f the lid aud lower portion, and Ivy simply turning the lid it was possible to secure one fly at a time when a number had been enclosed. 1 resently we took a boxful to the river and began to dan. Being so bidden.. I oceumed a back Ta U] IZ U r W bank ' *»-« Augustus made, the lust essay; and from this position of masterly inactivity I watched his movements or helped with good advice. That mv advice often w I ca if d Vl h . co " tlim " ! y matters not at ■all. I felt bound to assist mv friend, and did my best for him, enduring rude ingratitude, and this was the manner of his amended attack. Instead of casting fair and boldly from the open side of the river, ono must go creeping stealthily among the willows, and having discovered a trout the line is reeled u>> short, until only a yard or so remains to bo wound round the rod point. Now a devoted bluebottle is impaled upon the hook, and the rod point is poked out through some opening in the willows, as nearly as may be above the fish. The next proceeding is to unwind the lino that is coiled round the point by turning the rod. and gradually the fly is lowered on tho sunn v A f , ho will thon buzz he « a good bluebottle, and all the more attractive; but'in any case we found the trout were seldom so unkindly as to refuse his evident need of a quiet home. At first it could not be said that we were wholly successful, but 'when Augustus had made about half-a-dozen attempts and caught about tho same number of willow branches, he had still nearly a foot of cast left, and so retired from action to repair damages. As it happened, mine was the first fish, a two-pounder, who lay quiescent just below the surface, in front of a little opening among the trees. The bluebottle alighted gently a few inches upstream the two-pounder tilted as gently to the lure, ana trusting much to the tackle 1 held him there or thereabouts, between his wild plunges wondering whatever I ought to do next. I owe that fish to Augustus, for suddenly I became aware of a landing-net stretched out under water, exactly in the right place, and in another instant tho two-pounder was inside it and ashore

That first encounter set a type for many of tho rest, but also smashes wore many, and could not bo avoided: as when an innocent-looking six-pounder— the largest wo saw during tho day— promptly took a turn with mv cast round a conveniently submerged branch, and broke away the gut where it was fastened to the line. According to Augustus, I "struck liko two men' in the excitement of the moment, and broke him then; but this is manifestly absurd, and I have no recollection of any such event; at least I am almost sure that I have not. Now let mc do justice, in a final word, to Augustus, my instructor in this "dapping art. On a nearly hopeless kind of" day, it wns directly due to his by-way sort of knowledge that we basketed a score of trout averaging a hnlf-connd less than two; and if J know of long ago I did not cay so, and Augustus therefore is <tlad that he taught mc. but of proper dry-fly principles he knoweth not.