THE SUCCESSFUL FISHERMAN 49 



pure animal fats, and to avoid chemical mixtures, 

 however much they may be advertised; for although 

 greasy to the touch, they have frequently a pernicious 

 effect on the delicate lines and casts used in dry fly 

 fishing. Now we are ready. 



You see, there are one or two more Blue Quill coming 

 down, but no signs of a trout, and as we have plenty 

 of water ahead, we will try and tempt the fish to rise 

 to our fly. Now, this is where experience and stream 

 lore are so necessary. Trout, though fairly home birds, 

 to use an Irishism, alter their position constantly from 

 one point of the stream to another, and though they 

 seldom go far from their retreat, yet the wind, the 

 time of day, the heat or cold, the clear or thick state 

 of the water, considerably affect their relative positions. 

 Loch Leven trout are rarely stationary when feeding, 

 moving from one position of a pool to another. 



The most successful fisherman is, therefore, he who 

 has, from former experience, an intuitive knowledge 

 of just where a trout is likely to be lying, and also 

 what the trout is likely to be thinking about when 

 there. So now, with no fish in sight i.e., rising 

 I yet feel confident that there ought to be a decent 

 fish just at the lower side of the opening between those 

 weeds, also that he is thinking about food, and that 

 on this occasion it is floating food. I shall try, there- 

 fore, to place my fly about 2 feet above the opening, 

 so that it will float down to where I think he is waiting. 

 It is a nice easy cast of about 15 yards right up-stream ; 

 the breeze is also up-stream, and therefore in our favour. 



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