This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1884 edition. Excerpt: ...These fish, however, are at times very capricious. In some rivers they will take nothing but large salmon flies, in others nothing but small flies; for instance, in the Ailort, a big fly on No. 5 hook must be used; some fifteen miles farther west, in the Morrar, not a fish will look at a big fly; go still further, and in the Elchaig, on the west coast of Ross-shire, a mediumsized Blue or Black Doctor will raise almost every fish in the river; again, in the Aline Water, a Black Palmer with scarlet body and gold twist, or a small Harriet, gives better sport than any other fly. As Mr. Francis says, Sea Trout, when hooked, are almost as much out of the water as in; their leaps are surprising, one after the other in quick succession, and often they leap themselves off the hook. A fresh-run sea trout of from three to four pounds in a rapid river, with a double-handed trout rod, gives splendid sport, and from his gameness keeps one on the tenterhooks of excitement till he is landed; he never gives in, and is struggling and plunging when you put the net under him. On a favourable day, with a Black and Red Palmer, or a small Silver Doctor, and the fish fresh running, you may surfeit yourself, but you cannot leave off,--the sport is too exciting. The places to fish for them are long stretches of not very deep water, with not too much stream, the tails of pools, and the pools near the sea; they come with a rush, and one is inclined to strike them too soon, and so lose them, just touching them. They don"t hook themselves as a salmon does, but come up straight at the fly, and often miss it, making a great floppy noise; in the rivers you must give them a little time to recover themselves, and if you do this they will rise again, but if you throw over them at...