THE ARTIFICIAL FLY OF COMMERCE 



the tackle-dealer's stock must be enormous. You 

 will naturally ask, "Then why add more?" My ob- 

 ject is not to increase them, but to simmer them 

 down to nature's reasonable limit. 



Experts have told me that their list of flies for 

 the entire season is confined to twelve varieties. I 

 should hardly consider such a drastic cut-down suf- 

 ficient to get fish or to enjoy good sport. I do 

 think a careful selection of six for each month would 

 be a better outfit to attain the result we desire — 

 fair sport and fair fish. 



May is the only month of the entire season when 

 trout are not particular which fly they take, and 

 the reason for that is quite plain. Natural insects 

 are then so abundant and so varied that all are alike 

 to them. After the winter's comparative fast, trout 

 are unusually ravenous. When the season ad- 

 vances you must needs use more judgment in the 

 kind of lure you offer, or you do not get a rise. 



Of course most anglers have one or more favorite 

 flies that reminiscence of happy days and battles 

 won make it hard, from a sentimental point of 

 view, to throw aside and forget. But I maintain 

 that we fish for pleasure and success. Memory of 

 the past is all very well ; but hope is the fisherman's 

 guide to beat our own and our brother's record. 

 That success may be achieved in a higher, more 

 learned way by taking nature into our confidence 

 and using flies that do resemble, as far as possible 



15 



