TROUT FLY-FISHING IN AMERICA 



Miller on a dead black background and the Black Gnat 

 on a dead white background and you have a condition in 

 each instance where the greatest contrast is produced and 

 each fly is most defined. Reverse the two flies, leaving the 

 two backgrounds as they are, and you then have the least 

 contrast and each fly is least defined. 



From these facts it becomes apparent that if the even- 

 ing is very dark and overcast the light fly will be the best 

 defined against such a background, and it is equally true 

 that the dark fly will be the best defined against a sky back- 

 ground that is clear and of lightish color. 



As water is dark in color when compared with the sky 

 and more dense than the atmosphere, trout at all times dur- 

 ing both day and night when looking toward the surface 

 of the water are looking from a darker to a lighter area. 

 It then follows that the fly which will most quickly be seen 

 is one which makes the greatest contrast with the back- 

 ground. This, I think, we may take as a fact, irrespective 

 of any change there may be at times in the degree of dark- 

 ness in the water. 



Following this principle out in practice, I have found 

 that dark flies get more rises than light ones during the 

 evening hours, except on very dark and overcast evenings 

 when the lighter flies prove more successful. 



This is especially true with dark flies that have silver 

 bodies, such as the Silver Doctor, the Silver Spot and the 

 Silver Gnat; and this is undoubtedly due in a measure to 

 the gleam of the silver in the water when the flies are be- 

 ing played. 



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