CHALK-STREAM FISHING WITH DRY FLY. 337 



Frequenters of chalk-streams fish almost exclusively with a 

 single dry fly, and only when the fish are visibly feeding at the 

 surface. The angler selects his fish, gets behind him (that is, 

 below him), and prepares for a cast up stream. Then taking 

 two or three false casts in the air to judge the exact distance, 

 the fly is thrown with the intention of making it alight gently 

 a foot or two above the rising fish and exactly in his line^ for a 

 well-fed chalk-stream trout will rarely go even a few inches out 

 of his way for a passing fly. If the fly falls short or wide, it 

 should be left till the line has floated some distance to the rear 

 of the fish, when it must be picked off, whisked through the 

 air two or three times to dry the wings and hackle before a new 

 cast is made. If there is no clumsiness several trial casts may 

 be made before the exact distance is found, and the fish will 

 go on rising undisturbed ; but the slightest bungle on the part 

 of the angler is fatal and puts the fish down for the next half 

 hour. If it be remembered that most of the best fish lie close 

 to the bank and that the fly has to be sent down floating natu- 

 rally correct to the very inch, it will be seen that there is room 

 for great exercise of skill, and to succeed even moderately well 

 requires a vast amount of practice. 



It will always be a moot point how far it is necessary or not 

 to present to rising fish an exact imitation of the fly on which 

 they happen to be feeding. And the greater the experience of 

 an angler the less will he be inclined to lay down the law on 

 this and kindred questions : he will have learnt that his pre- 

 conceived notions, based on extensive observation and practice, 

 have frequently been completely upset by some sudden and 

 unintelligible caprice on the part of the fish. 



The angler's one meets on a chalk stream generally have 

 some interest in entomology, and it is the exception for a skilful 

 fisherman not to know something of the natural flies which 

 tempt the trout to the surface. On the other hand, it is gene- 

 rally admitted that with a shy fish it is half the battle to put the 

 fly right at the first cast ; in other words, a fish is often thrown 

 off his guard completely by a well-directed fly, no matter what, 

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