HOW TO FISH A STREAM. 23 



enough to give the right a majority. An im- 

 partial president casting up the votes for the 

 wrong must too often, I fear, pronounce, 'The 

 Ayes have it.' Opinions are divided as to how 

 a stream is to be fly-fished. Some say, Begin 

 at the head of a stream and fish it downwards 

 with the current. Others say, By no means: 

 commence at the tail of a stream and fish 

 upwards to its head. Who is to decide, when 

 adhuc sub judice Us est? Will the litigants leave 

 it to my arbitration ? If they do, my decision is, 

 as a general rule, to be swerved from on rare 

 contingency first fly-fish a stream upwards from 

 tail to head, and then, if circumstances make you 

 think it advisable after giving yourself and the 

 water a rest, try down, with, if necessary, a 

 change of fly or flies, from head to tail. By this 

 means you avoid disputed extremes, and, treading 

 the best of all paths, medio tutissimus ibis. 



You are approaching a stream to fish it. Keep 

 as far as possible at first from the edge of the 

 bank you stand on, and throw somewhat to your 

 left side on to that part of the water running 

 next you to your left, if you are fishing from 

 the left bank, and vice versa. Float your flies 

 down, humouring them nattily on the surface of 

 the water, or ever so little beneath it, obliquely 

 to your left, bringing them round at a civil 

 distance below you, and close under the bank. 



