276 The Trouts of America 



these constituents are rubbed with vaseline and 

 other oily substances that the line may float natu- 

 rally in up-stream fishing, when the angler is dry- 

 fly fishing. The majority of American anglers 

 are content to dry their flies by switching them 

 six or more times in the air previous to drop- 

 ping them into the water. Gossamer leaders 

 and midget flies tied on hooks as small as Nos. 

 1 8 and 20 are in general use in Great Britain, and 

 the accepted method is fishing up-stream when 

 the fly floats as a dead one, and the casts neces- 

 sarily frequent, or the flies will float too near the 

 angler to be retrieved properly for the next cast. 

 Dry-fly fishing is not adapted to the swift-run- 

 ning American streams, but I have often prac- 

 tised it when wading down by leaving the water 

 and fishing the pool below from its foot. They 

 frequently spin the minnow for trout in England, 

 and when a deep troll is necessary the lead or 

 sinker is placed inside the minnow, a practice 

 which has never been followed with us, although 

 a good one for lake trout and other large fish of 

 different species. 



The angling authorities of England recom- 

 mend thirty-two flies as the most attractive to 

 the brown trout, consisting mainly of the palm- 



