38 THE RISE OF THE TROUT 



In the one the flies at the end of a long line and 

 cast are allowed to sink well below the surface, and to 

 be carried down-stream towards every spot where 

 trout may be lying. The stream is thus thoroughly 

 searched by the flies, both fish and lure being in- 

 visible to the angler, and, in consequence, no de- 

 pendence can be placed on the rise of the fish being 

 seen, the angler having, in most cases, to depend on 

 his sense of touch for a knowledge as to when the fish 

 takes his fly ; and, therefore, when a fish is caught, 

 it is generally because the fish hooks himself. 



In the other a short line is used, and each cast is 

 made with the definite object of fishing either for a 

 rising or for a feeding fish, whose position is therefore 

 either known or assumed. The flies are allowed to sink 

 only a few inches at the most below the surface, and 

 the rise of the fish should, in consequence, be apparent 

 to the angler, the fish in this style being mostly hooked 

 by the angler's initiative in striking. This style of 

 fishing, which is undoubtedly more interesting than 

 fishing with wet fly down-stream, is, comparatively 

 speaking, but little known, and it is often condemned 

 by those who have not given it a fair trial. 



When a trout is seen to rise, then the strike most 

 frequently determines its capture. In wet fly fishing 

 up-stream the angler, in four cases out of five, is de- 

 pendent on his skill and alertness in striking for his 

 fish. In wet fly fishing down-stream the angler is 

 dependent in four cases out of five on the chance of 

 the fish hooking itself, and in this respect alone it 



