310 The Trouts of America 



side of the rift localities where the heads of the 

 fish may be up or down or across stream, they 

 evidently could not hear the tread of the feet, 

 as no vibration took place, and the roar of the 

 rushing rapid drowned the sound of the splashed 

 water by the feet and legs ; hence the conclusion 

 that they must have caught a glimpse of the 

 angler or seen the threatening movement of the 

 rod in the forward cast. 



The old fly fisherman, knowing the acuteness, 

 if not the compass, of the sense of sight of the 

 trout, when fishing down-stream, always leaves 

 it as he approaches a likely-looking pool, and 

 makes a detour around to reach the lower 

 end, and then casts his feathers, first upon the 

 comparatively still waters below, then upward 

 and across until he has corduroyed the " swim " 

 with his trailing and fluttering flies. The result, 

 as a rule, is marked and encouraging. 



I sometimes think that the trout and the black 

 bass have an intuition of the presence of an 

 angler on the banks of a pool. They may not 

 be able to see him clearly, but his form on the 

 bank, even when the sun is full in his face, makes 

 an impression, it can hardly be called a shadow, 

 on the water which informs the wary fins that an 



