ARTIFICIAL FLIES 49 



will be winged flies, but the majority are sure 

 to be spiders, i.e. flies without wings. He 

 opens the ball with, say, a winged fly as top 

 dropper and two spiders below. Like the 

 imitationist, he finds sport dull at first, but 

 his maxim is that of the Scotch gillie, " aye 

 keep your flees i' the wather," and so he pegs 

 away, until suddenly a fish or two begin to 

 show themselves and eventually sport becomes 

 lively. On a really good day, when the trout 

 rush at the flies as if demented, there will be 

 little difference in the weight of the baskets 

 of the two anglers, provided they are more 

 or less equal in the matter of skill. This 

 seems to point to the fact that a so-called 

 exact imitation trout fly is in no way superior 

 to an " impressionistic " fly in the killing of 

 fish. When trout are really in the humour, 

 and provided both types of fly are normal 

 in size and shape, one is just as good as the 

 other ; but when the fish are dour, neither 

 type is capable of rousing them from their 

 lethargy. I have briefly touched on the 

 theorists of the two schools, for sooner or 

 later the beginner will have to decide for 

 himself which theory he will put into practice. 

 After all, experience is the best teacher, so 

 I think we can safely leave him to sort 

 matters out unaided. 



