TROUT FLY-FISHING IN AMERICA 



be less quick because the rise would not be the same. In 

 a general way it can be said : 



In clear water and snappy rise, strike very quick; 

 in roily water and ordinary rise, strike quick, in clear or 

 roily water and slow deliberate rise, strike slow. 



When fishing a lake in the spring more fish will be 

 hooked by striking deliberately and slow, irrespective of 

 their size, for at that time they are cold and much less ac- 

 tive than in the later months of the season. 



This does not apply, as a rule, to stream fishing, be- 

 cause the trout are in more aerated water and are more 

 active, but this fishing comes a little earlier than lake 

 fishing. 



In the spring, whether fishing on lake or stream, more 

 success will be had by using larger flies than those gen- 

 erally used in August and September, because the eye- 

 sight of the trout is not then so keen. 



The amount of force that should be used when strik- 

 ing a trout is something that each angler has to find out 

 for himself and it is one of the features of fly-fishing that 

 determines to a large extent whether the angler is a good 

 or poor fly fisherman. 



It is probably true that more anglers strike too hard 

 rather than not hard enough and that more fish are lost 

 for this same reason than any other. 



So many different things govern the ability of an an- 

 gler to strike trout successfully that it is easier to men- 

 tion what should not be done instead of what should be 



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