WET AND DRY FLY FISHING 65 



water under the far bank, is to drop the 

 flies on the bank and then draw them care- 

 fully off, so that they fall lightly on the 

 water. If a good fish sees them, he seldom 

 fails to rise. The edges of the pools generally 

 afford the most fish, though heavy trout 

 are often hooked in the main current ; and 

 pools rippled by a breeze are easier to fish 

 than those in a dead calm. When approach- 

 ing a pool where bushes afford camouflage, 

 it is better if you are dressed in incon- 

 spicuous garments to step in front of them, 

 using them as a background, rather than 

 peer over them. If you see a good fish 

 rising, keep casting a foot or so above him, 

 until he either takes the fly, or ceases to rise. 

 But when the trout are taking the fly well, 

 the angler should work quickly, wasting as 

 little time as possible over landing and creeling 

 his fish. The rise is at all times uncertain, and 

 so it pays to "make hay while the sun shines." 

 Streams and fast water are fished exactly 

 the same as pools. As little line as possible 

 should be kept in the water, and the rod 

 point raised to ensure a fairly tight line. A 

 rise is of course harder to see in rough water, 

 but practice and experience soon enable one 

 to strike at the right moment. Casting 

 partly up and across is better than straight 



