74 



The Gentle Art of Angling. 



to be busily feeding on nothing. 

 This conclusion is a libel on their 

 industrial habits. They are feed- 

 ing, but on flies so minute that it 

 takes sharp eyes and a bright light 

 on the water to discern them. They 

 are after the smuts, or what are 

 popularly known as the " angler's 

 curse." The uncomplimentary 

 soubriquet explains itself. The 

 flies are too minute to be imitated 

 artificially, although the task has 

 been attempted. To the naked 



dry-fly man comes with the May- 

 fly season. This occurs only once 

 a year, and on English rivers 

 lasts from ten days to a fortnight. 

 Whilst Ephemera danica is up, the 

 trout feed on it ravenously. Dur- 

 ing this period stronger gut casts 

 are mounted, as fish are not so 

 particular, and nothing but stout 

 tackle will hold some of them. 

 There are three periods of the 

 May-fly season : (i) When the in- 

 sect is rising in the nymph form 



THE BOURNE (CHALK STREAM). 



eye they look like coarse black 



funpowder, but under the magni- 

 ying glass smuts show themselves 

 to be delicately tinted creatures 

 with finest gossamer wings. I 

 have a suspicion that trout take 

 them by the dozen rather than 

 singly, and the angler's solitary 

 imitation, many sizes larger, does 

 not often interest the fish, intent 

 on a wholesale trade in such 

 dainties. The smallest wingless 

 flies are the only patterns likely 

 to tempt them. 



The great opportunity of the 



from its bed in the river; (2) when 

 it reaches the green drake stage, 

 before it is fully matured ; and 

 (3) after laying its eggs and drop- 

 ping helplessly on the water as 

 the spent gnat. Flies are tied 

 artificially to represent the insect 

 in these three stages. When 

 trout are taking the nymph they 

 rarely come to the surface. Their 

 presence will be indicated by big 

 waves, which are caused by chas- 

 ing the fly as it rises, popularly 

 known as bulging. Floating the 

 fly over fish thus employed is 



