< ii a rr. iv. Spinning mart killing than Fly Fishing. 37 



and I shall indulge the hope that they will be kindly contenl to 

 take my word aa they did at the first. 



These three main points, then, being borne in mind, the 

 necessity for fishing in clear water, the Mahseer's l<>ve of small 



fish, and its power of smashing by < ipreasion, we shall lie in a 



better position for arranging to circumvent it. 



There is yet another point which may as well he reverted to 

 before proceeding farther, and that is the bottom-feeding habits 

 of the Mahseer. This was deduced in the lasi chapter from the 

 evidence of the contents of the stomach, an organ not given to 

 telling fibs, and from the formation of the outside of the mouth. I 

 lav Btress "ii this habit from a fishing point of view, because I 

 am convinced that a due appreciation of and allowance for it 

 will lead to better sport. I lay stress on it also because I know it 

 is commonly disregarded. It stands to reason that you arc 

 more likely to catch a fish by seeking it on its feeding grounds, 

 and there offering it its natural food, than by requesting its 

 attention in a somewhat unusual direction, the surface, and 

 there too to a novel object, not much like any thing in creation, 

 ady Balmon fly. I lay stress on this point because so many 

 fish for the Mahseer with an artificial fly at the surface of the 

 water, and the salmon- fisher is from more reasons than one 

 very loth to give up his fly. The fly is cleaner and much less 

 troublesome than any other hue It is much easier to throw 

 a Balmon fly than to spin a fish, and Mahseer doubtless art 

 caught with a fly. 



The Brahmin, who is as punctilious about his food as a much- 

 fished trout, describes a pariah as "one who cats without 

 asking." and if the Mahseer were not in respect of food as 

 omnivorous as a pariah, it would never take down such an 

 unearthly thing as a salmon fly in the promiscuous manner it 

 sometimes does. Though it does take it, ami then- is Borne Bport 

 to be had with the fly, still in my opinion it is not a natural 

 bait, and therefore not the best lure that can be offered, and the 

 sport thereby obtained is decidedly inferior to that to be had by 

 spinning. Trout are doubtless to be caught in England by very 

 poor fishermen, with very incorrect fancy flies, still if the correct 

 fly be used, that is, a good imitation of the natural fly at the time 



on the water, it is undeniable that the .bailees of 



