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water do the work, mounting your rod top as your flies 

 approach. After a few years I found the fish on most 

 streams getting more cunning, and found my floating flies 

 were the only ones to be depended on for making a 

 basket. It certainly is the most scientific, and affords 

 more sport, than any other method of fishing. 



I would here give young anglers a few hints (which 

 I hope will prove useful) on using the dry fly. Never 

 carry your floating May flies in a fly-book, but use a flat 

 tin box (I have found a sandwich box 'answer the purpose 

 very well), not crowding it too full, but always keeping 

 a stock box at the inn ; and you will find it to your own 

 advantage to rise early in the morning and dress a few 

 flies of the right size and colour, not too large, but 

 according to the size of the water. The best wing to 

 use is the Egyptian goose, wood or summer duck, and the 

 brown mallard feathers. These are my favourite wings. 

 I do not care for dyed feathers, though I use them 

 occasionally. Avoid being short of the alder fly when 

 the drake is on, as I have found it very useful, and have 

 killed numbers of fine trout with it when they have 

 refused every drake I offered them ; also keep a supply of 

 the yellow dun and the black gnat. I have frequently 

 made a good basket with these small flies when they 

 would not look at a drake. Two yards of gut, nicely 

 tapered, is quite sufficient for a May fly cast. Avoid 

 dressing your flies on too fine a gut, or you will soon lose 

 them. In making your cast, do it in such a way that 

 when your fly alights it will ride on the surface without a 

 ripple. When it does not float even pick it up and throw 



c 



