98 BEST POSITION FOR FISHERMAN 



It will thus be seen that the nearer an object is to 

 the water level when outside the water, the less will be 

 the angle which it will relatively subtend to the fish ; 

 in other words, the lower the position of an object when 

 at equal distances, the smaller it will appear to the fish. 



This important fact is taken advantage of by the 

 fisherman, who, although he may not understand the 

 optical laws of refraction, has learnt from experience 

 that, in order to avoid scaring the fish, he must crouch 

 as much as possible and thus reduce his height, and 

 that an overhead cast is more likely to scare a fish than 

 a side cast. Not that he escapes being seen when 

 within the limit of the trout's vision, but his bulk 

 and that of his rod are then generally insufficient 

 seriously to frighten the fish. Wading is for this 

 reason the best method of approaching fish. Although 

 a man's size is relatively reduced the more nearly 

 he approaches the water level, still, in ordinary 

 circumstances, he is clearly visible on the trout's 

 horizon when within that part of the zone D A B C, 

 Diagram 7. If, then, this appearance is accompanied 

 by an invariable agitation of the surface, or the violent 

 appearance of lines or flies over a trout's head, even 

 the most unsophisticated fish will quickly learn to 

 associate these two phenomena, and be increasingly 

 ready to take fright when a man is seen. Hence the 

 necessity for caution when approaching a fish, and 

 delicacy and finesse when casting on the part of the 

 fisherman not only on his own account, but out of 

 consideration for his brother anglers. 



