42 CHATS ON ANGLING. 



of your fish, throw your fly so that the gut lies on the advancing weed ; 

 the fly, with some inches of free gut, should rest upon the water in front 

 of the weed ; the rest of your cast, being supported by the weed, will 

 be freed from the drag of the stream, and the fly will float proudly 

 over the fish. Unsuspecting he rises, sucks the fly down in absolute 

 confidence, and at last he is yours. Backwaters may be overcome in 

 a similar manner, and to this slight extent the curse of the floating 

 masses of weed may be converted into a real boon. This slight 

 advantage cannot be considered as counterbalancing the drawback of 

 indiscriminate weed cutting, it is merely an attempt to turn to our 

 use an otherwise unmitigated evil. 



Proprietors of valuable fishing rights are strangely unappreciative of 

 the advantages of scientific weed cutting and weed growing ; they seem 

 to be inclined to let matters take their course, and in consequence 

 suffer considerably, and until they realise what this carelessness means 

 to them things will be allowed to go on in the old groove. 



