WET OR SUNK FLY-FISHING. 3 



ness, the angler must be guided by circumstances. 

 A beginner, however, will find it much easier to 

 cast with stoutish gut, and if it be of good 

 quality, and be dropped lightly on the water, he 

 will have more success with it than with finer 

 gut badly handled. We believe thoroughly, how- 

 ever, in the efficacy of fine gut on all waters 

 which are much fished, and strongly advise every 

 angler to accustom himself to its use. It must 

 not be understood, however, that we consider 

 drawn gut necessary, or even advantageous, under 

 all circumstances. Early in the season before the 

 waters have shrunk to their summer level ; later 

 in the year when the rivers are running full after 

 a flood ; or, even when they are low and clear, if 

 a strong wind be blowing, good undrawn gut will 

 be found quite as deadly. By using it, moreover, 

 time will be saved in landing the trout, and no 

 fisher need be told how this will affect his take 

 at the end of the day. 



FLIES. We now come to the most important 

 element in the matter of tackle to wit, the flies 

 themselves ; and here it is necessary to explain 

 that in our Lowland streams two distinct types of 

 artificial flies are used the winged fly and the 

 spider or hackle. Of these, the winged fly is 

 undoubtedly the closer imitation of the natural 

 insect as we see it playing on the surface of the 

 water. One would think that, in competition 



