The Fishing of Waters with the Wet Fly 33 



interests of brother fly-fishers, and particu- 

 larly of those who are not above taking a 

 few hints from an old hand. 



Before proceeding further, I must refer 

 to the classification of streams into burns, 

 waters, and rivers. 



This classification is good only so far as 

 it goes. It enables anglers, and also writers 

 on wet-fly fishing, to lay down, if not fixed 

 rules, at least general principles for the 

 more or less precise methods employed by 

 our school, in attacking streams of such 

 varied width and volume ; but the reader 

 will bear with me when I point out that, 

 in point of volume, etc., "a water" is at 

 first a mere burn, and a river is all three, 

 in the various stages of its growth. So 

 that, when the angler fishes the top waters 

 of a river, he fishes as he would in " a burn." 

 Further down, he regards it as "a water," 

 and eventually (an' he be wise) he will fish 

 the lower reaches on the broad principles 

 laid down in a subsequent chapter, u The 

 Fly-fishing of Rivers." 



I mean just this : that the mere name is 

 of no real moment, save, inasmuch, as it 

 enables us to classify streams in such a 

 way as to render tuition more intelligible 

 and interesting. Description in all cases is 



D 



