May, "charming, charming May," is generally a delightful Angling month, for if the water is in order, good diversion may be had almost every day. A great variety of flies now make their appearance at which the Trout rise very greedily, full of life, vigour and activity, they roam everywhere after their prey, and scarcely a fly settles upon the water but falls a victim to the quick eyed and hungry fish. Trolling, and worm fishing become now very good, and it is advisable to fish with either one or the other in the early part of the day. When the flies have not made their appearance, and before fish rise of themselves, it is of little use trying the fly, it is only labour lost, "to call spirits from the vasty deep, who will not come when you do call for them." Indeed, on the best of fishing days, there are some half hours when a man who understands what he is about, will lay down his rod, because he knows the fish have done feeding for a time, and that flogging the water to no purpose may be exercise, but not sport. In this leisure half hour then, let the angler smoke, eat, examine his Tackle, or lay out and admire his fish, this last way of killing time, brings to my recollection the lines of Wordsworth,—

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

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.