A TROUT'S RECREATION 



we have hardly any knowledge of the fish, except 

 the best way to capture it. We are familiar with 

 the habit a trout has of " rising short." It rises 

 at the artificial fly and appears to have drawn it in ; 

 but when the angler strikes, he finds that the hook 

 has not fastened. The cause of this, indeed the 

 exact nature of the habit, are unknown. For days 

 together trout " rising short " tantalize the fly- 

 fisherman. Then for a stretch, perhaps almost 

 every trout which rises at the artificial fly is 

 hooked. 



At midsummer and in spring, year after year, we 

 notice the same thing, but cannot explain it. One 

 theory is that trout rising short are half-hearted, not 

 really eager for food ; yet often when they are rising 

 short at the artificial fly, they are taking the natural 

 insect that sails on the water, one of the beautiful 

 little ephemeridae. Now and then what we call a 

 short rise is, I believe, the result of a spirit of frisky 

 play in a trout. Once I managed to crawl within 

 less than a yard of the spot where a trout was 

 stationed, and float an artificial fly over him. 

 Several times this trout rose swiftly at the lure, 

 struck it with his snout or whisked his tail at it, 

 and went back to his position as quickly as he had 

 risen. 



He acted in the same manner towards several 

 natural flies which floated down-stream over or near 

 him. This trout seemed to play with the idea of 

 taking the flies : he drowned or half-drowned them, 

 but took none fairly in his mouth. It was a rare 



