44 TROUT-FISHING FOR THE BEGINNER 



would have us believe. There come certain 

 days in every season when the fish take the 

 flies so ravenously that they could hardly 

 exhibit greater eagerness, and they continue 

 to seize them even after the major portion 

 of the dressing has been torn away. Now, 

 if a trout possessed a keen eye for detail in 

 the insects on which he feeds, he would never 

 accept our artificials at all, for even in our 

 eyes these artificials are very far from being 

 exact copies. Then, again, certain of our 

 flies are tied as hackles, or " spiders," i.e. 

 without wings. Most of these spiders are 

 very lightly dressed, with spare silk bodies 

 and soft feather hackles. Out of the water 

 they bear no resemblance to any particular 

 insect, but when submerged, with their soft 

 feathers flickering to the action of the current, 

 they prove very attractive to the fish. 



2. Size and shape in an artificial fly are 

 of more importance in deceiving a fish 

 than colour and minor details. 

 Thus, although many anglers set great 

 store by the colour and details of their arti- 

 ficial flies, practical experience leads us to 

 believe that size and shape are of far greater 

 importance. Trout are full of curiosity, for 

 they will rise to investigate matches, shreds 



