346 The Trout s of America 



their leaders a half-dozen flies of variegated colors, 

 alleging as a reason therefor that the captious 

 trout has a wider range of colors from which to 

 choose, hence capture of them is more likely to 

 be effected. It is to be noted, however, that these 

 fishermen are short-line casters, and fish the shal- 

 low rifts closely, but often successfully. Three 

 flies constitute the usual cast of most trout 

 anglers, and the general use of this number, no 

 more or no less, cannot be explained satisfactorily, 

 although many rodsters contend that a trio of flies 

 attached at proper intervals to the leader can be 

 played upon the water more naturally than a 

 lesser or greater number ; but it must be remem- 

 bered that our feathered lures, as we manipulate 

 them in fishing rapid streams, are extremely un- 

 like living bugs in action or appearance, particu- 

 larly when we draw the artificials up or across a 

 five or a ten mile current, where a bug in life 

 would have to possess the muscular power of a 

 leviathan of the deep to maintain the position 

 and action given by our restraining lines. I use 

 only two flies, a practice induced no doubt by ex- 

 perience on a black bass water, where a couple of 

 fish weighing upward of five pounds are a heavy 

 test of a light fly rod. As my casts average, 



