WHERE THE TROUT LIE. 39 



the stream to another, and though they seldom go far from 

 their retreat, yet the wind, the time of day, the heat and 

 the cold, the clear and the thick state of the water, consider- 

 ably affect their relative positions. 



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, and also that he is thinking 

 about food, and that the food he is thinking about is 

 floating food. I shall try, therefore, to place my fly about 

 two 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 fifteen yards right up stream; the breeze is also up 

 stream, and therefore in our favour. 



You will notice that I get my correct length of line, 

 not by trial casting in the air over the fish, which would 

 scare him, but by casting in the air to one side or the 

 other. Now watch ! There ! The fly has fallen just in the 

 right place. See, the wings are beautifully cocked, and the 

 fly is sailing down through the opening of the weeds, and 

 as it does so, the point of my rod is being gently raised so 

 as to keep the line fairly straight. There ! Tut ! tut ! I have 

 missed him ! Of course, I don't blame myself ; fishermen 

 rarely do so ; I think, or say I think, he came rather short ; 



