46 PRACTICAL FLY-FISHER. 



often occurs from overcrowding, their wings so injured as 

 to be nearly useless as baits. I hastened to a small 

 island in the middle of the river to obtain a fresh supply 

 of flies, thinking any further want of success dependent 

 on the injured state of the insects : after stopping some 

 time in search of the flies, I heard some one calling 

 loudly to me : I found it was my friend Mr. Jackson, 

 who had observed the river rising rapidly. I made an 

 attempt to crosss the stream, but I found the current 

 had so increased as to render it impossible for me to do 

 so ; my friend immediately fetched a horse, and rescued 

 me from my dangerous position. This river is very liable 

 to sudden and unexpected floods, from thunder storms 

 passing over Wensleydale, when not a drop of rain falls 

 in the country below. 



In resuming my description of the flies that fish 

 well in the Rye. The Yellow Dun, gravel bed ; the 

 Hawthorn Fly ; the Oak Fly ; the Fern Fly, particu- 

 larly in hot bright weather, and as an evening fly, 

 especially the Alder Fly, which is very abundant on the 

 Bye, and kills well during the time the Green Drake is 

 on : I have found it the most destructive fly on the river. 

 The Grey Drake kills well in the evenings ; but from 

 the difficulty of obtaining good imitations of the Drakes, 

 I generally fish the Alder Fly, using the different sizes 

 on the same bottom. Another large fly is very destruc- 

 tive in the Bye I allude to the Dark Mackerel, which 

 kills the largest Trout, especially in the evening. The 

 Bye now becomes a meagre river for sport, until August, 

 when the Silver Horns is an excellent fly, particularly in 

 showery weather. 



The Autumn flies in the Bye are the Whirling 



