" A trout does not always get the fly when he attempts to; it 

 may be lying against the leader, making it impossible for him to 

 get it in his mouth; you may strike too quickly, taking it out of 

 reach; the strike maybe too hard, tearing his mouth. More trout 

 by far are pricked than hooked. .Practice only can teach you 

 when to strike ; you see a faint gleam under the surface, when 

 you instinctively twitch, to find you have hooked a beauty. Few 

 fishermen can separate force from quickness of motion. Never 

 use your arm in making the strike, only your wrist ; then will the 

 difficulty be overcome." ^ S. Up de Graff, M.D. 



"Innocent stranger! Thou who readest these lines! perhaps 

 you never caught a trout. If so, thou knowest not for what life 

 was originally intended. Thou art a vain, insignificant mortal ! 

 pursuing shadows ! Ambition lures thee, fame dazzles, wealth 

 leads thee on, panting! Thou art chasing spectres, goblins that 

 satisfy not. If thou hast not caught a trout, this world is to thee, 

 as yet, a blank, existence is a dream. Go and weep." Thaddeus 

 Norris. 



"On one occasion the writer was awakened at a very early 

 hour, when, lo! Mr. Webster, who happened to be in a par- 

 ticularly playful mood, was seen going through the graceful mo- 

 tions of an angler throwing a fly and striking a trout, and then, 

 without a word, disappeared. As a matter of course, that day 

 was given to fishing." Lanman's Life of Webster. 



" There is some difference of opinion as to the working of the 

 flies after they have fallen. Mr. Francis objects to any movement 

 beyond that of the stream. Others like to impart a gentle trem- 

 ulous motion as being more consistent with the notion that the 

 fly is drowning. Of course, it is not here advised that the fly be 

 drawn along with a series of jerks, but that just such motion shall 

 be imparted, and no more, as shall render the fly a simulated 

 drowning fly." G. Little. 



