DRY-FLY FISHING 53 



If the beginner is dogged by disappointment and 

 failure (and who can feel the utter bitterness of dis- 

 appointment more than a fisherman ?),let him be advised 

 to take heart of grace and not to blame the lowness of 

 the water, the brightness of the day, thunder or any 

 of the elements, for his lack of sport, but to say to 

 himself, " What have I left undone that should have 

 been done ? Where have I failed ? " For trout, like 

 human beings, take their daily bread ; and it is up to 

 the angler to find out when and where and in what 

 shape. If the beginner will therefore reason out the 

 causes of failure instead of making excuses for it, he 

 will be more likely then and on future occasions to 

 remedy his mistakes and to know the satisfaction of 

 killing fish on a really difficult day. 



Dry-Fly Fishing. 



Next to be considered are the dry fly and its use on 

 the North Country Rivers ; but the novice is strongly 

 urged, before ever he seeks to master this branch of 

 angling, to get a good grip of the wet-fly method. 



From the term " North Country Rivers" are naturally 

 excluded such rivers as the Costa, which is probably 

 the nearest approach in the North to the Chalk streams 

 of Hampshire, the home of the dry fly. On that 

 particular river the dry fly would probably on most 

 occasions take the premier position, whereas on the 



