In Connemara. 55 



those who are not fishermen themselves. All 

 the lakes in Connemara are of the same char- 

 acter, surrounded by the same kind of soil, 

 and therefore require the same kind of flies. 

 It is a most interesting question, the reason 

 why trout in one lake refuse certain flies, and 

 greedily take others. Probably the state of the 

 bottom is to some extent the cause, which 

 affects the colour of the water. But the prin- 

 ciple that the natural fly should be closely 

 imitated which, as regards what the Irishman 

 of the west contemptuously calls " midge flies," 

 is undoubtedly correct clearly does not apply 

 to lake any more than to salmon fishing. Nor 

 does nature produce any flies bearing a resem- 

 blance to a clean lake fly ; on the other hand, 

 a wet one may possibly be taken by a fish for 

 some kind of grub or caterpillar. 



