ARTIFICIAL MAYFLIES 127 



Hampshire fisherman. It is somewhat small, 

 and therefore, not being overburdened with 

 feathers, is more quickly dried than the larger 

 patterns. Artificial mayflies with cork bodies 

 are also excellent on some streams. I think, 

 however, that I must give the preference to those 

 dressed with straw bodies. It is, however, for 

 the reader to decide for himself, for it is impossible, 

 for the reason I have given above, to lay down 

 any hard and fast rule on the subject. It must 

 depend on the river, and experience alone can 

 tell him which pattern best suits the stream for 

 which he requires it. 



In mayfly-fishing it is the drying the fly which 

 is the trouble ; the wings are necessarily large, 

 and it takes a deal of whisking about to dry 

 them thoroughly, and this is not only very tiring 

 work to the fisherman, but very trying to a rod. 

 I would here impress upon the reader that it 

 is far better to go to the trouble of changing 

 a mayfly which has become too soaked to dry 

 quickly, than to strain his rod and probably his 

 arm also, unless he has two rods, and an attend- 

 ant to carry the one not in use, whom he can 

 trust to do the drying part of the work for him 

 whilst he is using the other rod. It is a great 

 mistake to attempt to use a mayfly before it is 

 properly dried ; to do so only increases trouble 

 in the long-run, for the wings must be upright, 



