JROUT FLY-FISHING IN AMERICA 



"That the wet-fly is in many ways successful is freely ad- 

 mitted; . . . but is it fly-fishing in the strictest sense of the 

 term? Is it not often rather bait fishing with a fly as bait? 



"It is comparatively of little moment to the wet-fly fisher how 

 his fly drops upon the water, for a greater part of the time the fly 

 is let to sink below the surface, and if necessary yanked up to the 

 top of the water again. 



"And, furthermore, how often is the wet-fly caster aware that 

 a fish has taken his fly before he feels the jerk on his line resulting 

 from the grab? In other words, how often does he know what is 

 going on at the end of his line while his fly is below the surface of 

 the water, and often completely out of sight? And how does all 

 this differ from bait fishing with a fly? 



"Would not the same method be used were the fly replaced by 

 a worm?" 



I now quote what the writer has to say about the dry- 

 fly: 



"And everything within the range of vision, with the fly al- 

 ways on the surface, so that the dash of the fish which always pre- 

 cedes its furious onset is well and fully seen and taken in time, and 

 can be successfully acted upon in consequence. 



"Are such conditions not more gratifying to the angler than 

 the average conditions under which trout are caught by the caster 

 of the wet fly? 



"One of the strongest arguments in favor of the use of the dry- 

 fly in preference to the wet is the undeniable fact that the greatest 

 amount of pleasure derived from fly-casting for trout is experi- 

 enced in causing the fish to rise and take the fly, for after he is once 

 hooked the whole proceeding begins to quiet down and lose its 

 charm, for it is a very easy matter to land a trout that is well- 

 hooked, the process requiring but little skill, for the trout rarely 

 leaps into the air, as do salmon and bass, for instance, and hence 

 it is comparatively easy to guide him over the landing net and 

 thence into the creel. 



"The channel is a broad one, and consequently the shores are 



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