126 TROUT FISHING 



as if this was the case. They fled when I was behind 

 them, and they rose when I was in front of them, 

 and I can only conclude that they saw me in the 

 one position and not in the other. There is an 

 interesting diagram in one of Mr. F. G. Shaw's books 

 which shows the presumable field of vision of a fish's 

 eye, and from it one may deduce that a trout can 

 see much further behind him than would generally 

 be supposed. 



There is no up or down controversy among dry- 

 fly men, of course. Downstream fishing is a well- 

 approved branch of the sport, and it is only because 

 drifting is a difficult art, and because it does not 

 give much chance of a second cast at a fish, that 

 it is not more generally employed. There are waters 

 on which it scores heavily, especially in Mayfly 

 time after the trout have been hammered very hard 

 by many rods. Then they become extremely wary 

 and suspicious of objects which are connected with 

 some remote danger by a string. Offer them a fly, 

 however, which floats down to them with its string 

 tucked away behind it, and they may be more inclined 

 to take it. 



The question of the best kind of rod is another 

 of those things which have led to controversy, but I 

 think the debates have been more profitable than 

 some of those on other matters, because they have 

 undoubtedly led to definite results in the develop- 



