Fish and Fishing 



I must constantly repeat, trout are shy. I know a 

 pool, the shady side of the river being high rocks 

 and impossible to fish from, which contains a nice 

 lot of big trout, having a complete range of over a 

 hundred feet. They would never rise while the 

 angler was in sight, and the cast was too far be- 

 cause of branchy trees. I floated the flies down 

 by the current, and so got them in that way, but 

 not till I had fished in vain many times; seeing 

 me there casting, they refused to rise. 



In ideal rivers, wadable from the middle, like 



the Beaverkill, N. Y., the cast may be placed all 



over the stream; cast first one side, letting it go 



to the middle with the current, then a 



FisWne ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ *^^ other side, then move 

 forward a few yards; it is impossible to 

 wade up such a stream of swift water. If you 

 want to fish up, the only way is to cast from the 

 sides, and this may not be possible in the best 

 places because of foliage lining the shore. 



Casting the fly at night-time, unless the water 

 is familiar, is unsatisfactory work, even if fish 

 rise well; the line is apt to get entangled and 

 the flies, because unseen, may be all twisted 

 up; a similar trouble is found in playing and 

 landing. The choicest half hour of the day, of 

 course, is from sundown to when the stars ap- 

 pear. Then the true angler is busy and every cast 

 made to count; and you may be ex- 

 cused if impatient at playing the fish, 

 when others are rising and plopping all around. 

 At such times a black fly and white fly are neces- 

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