SELECTION OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES 119 



THE APPEARANCE OF TROUT 



The colour of the trout changes rapidly in relation 

 to his local surroundings. If a dark trout be taken 

 from under a bridge or from some deep shady portion 

 of the river, and placed in a shallow enclosure with 

 light-coloured gravel at the bottom, he will at times 

 change to a much lighter colour within the hour. A 

 trout which inhabits a river one side of which is deep, 

 over-shadowed, and with a dark bottom, will when 

 on that side of the river be possessed of a dark 

 colour ; but if he should during certain hours of the 

 day cross the river and lie on the opposite side in 

 sunlight, on a shallow, gravelly bed, he will rapidly 

 lose his dark colour. 



WHAT SORT OF FLIES TO USE ; WHEN AND WHERE 

 TO USE THEM 



The most important problem which the angler has 

 to solve when he gets to the water-side is as to the 

 fly which is being taken, or going to be taken, by the 

 trout. 



The natural flies, the fancy flies, the best patterns 

 of these flies for the various rivers, the hours of the 

 day, where such flies are most killing, have already been 

 most fully discussed by others, and the works of 

 Sir Edward Clarke, Halford, Dewar, Hutchinson, and 

 Pennell are not only most delightful reading, but are 

 full of interesting information on these subjects. 



