

WET AND DRY FLY FISHING 39 



will be admitted that the greater interest must centre 

 in fishing up-stream. 



However, whether the angler elects to fish by dry 

 or by wet method, or whether he may be spinning a 

 minnow or throwing a salmon fly, the essential object 

 he has to achieve is to throw his line in the lightest 

 manner, and thus avoid splashing and the consequent 

 scaring of the fish ; and if he wishes to accomplish 

 this, he should remember that the more nearly he 

 approaches a horizontal direction for the forward cast 

 of his line and fly, the more lightly will his fly or line 

 fall on the surface of the water. Lightness and deli- 

 cacy of casting are especially necessary for dry fly 

 fishing, as the line has to be cast more or less over the 

 trout, and success will depend, therefore, to a great 

 extent on skill in casting. 



To be successful in either of these methods of trout 

 fly fishing requires patience, experience, observation, 

 quickness, and skill. 



Many excellent fishermen confine their fishing to 

 either the wet or dry fly method, but the most success- 

 ful fisherman generally will be he who is in reality 

 the master of both. 



Even on such classical waters of dry fly fame as 

 the Itchen or the Test there are days, especially in 

 the early part of the season and before the dry fly 

 purist gets to work, when the trout who cannot or 

 who will not see the floating fly will yet be caught on 

 the sunken one. Again, there are times on the northern 

 waters of wet fly streams when the wet fly expert 



