CHAPTER I. 

 ON THE EXACT IMITATION THEORY. 



THERE are few questions of more general interest 

 among fly-fishers than that of how far it is 

 necessary or expedient that the artificial fly on 

 the cast should resemble the natural fly on the 

 water. It will not be out of place to devote a 

 chapter to its discussion, as the utility of high- 

 class fly-dressing, and the methods to be followed 

 therein, are practically determined by its answer. 



I have myself always found the exact imita- 

 tion theory a safe one by which to be guided, at 

 any rate when fish are well on the feed. I con- 

 stantly observe, when wet-fly fishing, that trout 

 will show an unmistakeable preference for a good 

 imitation of one of the natural flies to be seen at 

 the time, no matter in what position on the cast 

 it is placed. Indeed, occasions are of frequent 

 occurrence when it is useless to fish with any 

 other. 



As another argument from direct experience, I 

 may say that I have been forced to the conclusion 

 that, when several species of flies are on the water 

 at the same time, a feeding fish will, as a rule, 

 confine his attentions to one of them. This fact 

 rests not only on observations of the fish while in 

 the water, but on the evidence of post-mortem 

 examination. I have always made a habit of 

 examining the stomachs of the fish I catch, and 

 have generally found those of surface feeders to 

 contain but one species of fly in any considerable 

 quantity even when more than one species had 



