TROUT FLY-FISHING IN AMERICA 



And why this wet-fly should be fished "up stream" 

 when most successful wet-fly fishermen fish the fly 

 "across" the stream so that the fly can be played or fished 

 by the angler? 



The try out mentioned by Mr. Gill simply proved that 

 a dry-fly fished on the surface of the water was more suc- 

 cessful than when fished under the surface. 



It was the merit of the fly and the same kind of fly 

 that was ascertained when fished in the same way by a 

 dry-fly enthusiast, only it was at one time fished as a dry- 

 fly and at another as a "sodden fly" "up stream," but other- 

 wise the method was the same in each case. 



Such a tryout proves nothing as to the comparative 

 merits of the two methods, because the two methods were 

 not compared. It was a dry-fly fished in the same man- 

 ner, but in different places. 



With all due respect for Mr. Gill, and I believe him 

 to be the fairest of all American dry-fly anglers, neverthe- 

 less I am unable to understand how such an angler can 

 hope fairly and impartially to do even substantial justice 

 to both methods of fly-fishing in any kind of a tryout 

 where he himself demonstrates the application of each. 



It is hardly within the ability of any angler, no matter 

 how expert he may be, to be equally good at the applica- 

 tion of both arts, the wet and the dry-fly methods of 

 fishing. 



Then again each angler has his natural liking for one 

 of the two methods of fly-fishing, which of itself would 



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