52 Wet- Fly Fishing 



on fishing. I used to delight in making 

 up my own tackle. To repair my own 

 waders was no great trouble, nor was it 

 difficult to add fresh tackets (hobnails) to 

 my wading boots. " Can do is easily carried 

 about," says an old Scottish proverb, which 

 proverb I think has a decided application 

 when considering fully the make-up of a 

 good wet-fly fisherman. 



But there is one thing which the wet- 

 fly fisher must not be, still less he who 

 ventures to write upon that most interesting 

 of subjects. He must not be too clever, 

 nor too dogmatic, else Humpty Dumpty's 

 fate threatens him. For myself, when I 

 look forward to being overhauled by the 

 critics I hope that when I am slated it 

 will be by a man who can wield the rod 

 quite as well as he does the pen. Now and 

 then the feeling that comes over me as I 

 write, takes a humorous turn, such as Baron 

 Munchausen puts into the mouth of the 

 Coon he has begun to fire at, with his un- 

 erring aim. 



" Oh, all right ! You needn't fire. I'll 

 come down ! " said the Coon. 



There is one thing which he must most 

 emphatically be, none the less. He must 

 be practical; he must take a broad and 



