22 FLY FISHING AND SPINNING 



he came at my fly. I flick my line backward and for- 

 ward in the air twice, and my fly is quite dry again, so I will 

 try once more. There ! just as before : the fly floated 

 down beautifully, but I missed him again. 



STRIKING 



While still emphasizing the importance of striking 

 immediately the fish rises, it is advisable to warn you that 

 there are some occasions when it may be better to vary 

 such a practice. At the beginning of the rise of the May fly 

 for instance, the trout and other fish appear to be somewhat 

 shy of gulping flying insect food presented to them on a 

 scale, comparatively speaking, larger than that of the ordinary 

 flying insects upon which they feed, and instead of taking 

 the new food boldly into the mouth they take hold of a 

 part only of the fly, for the purpose, I think, of dragging it 

 under water and investigating its character. If, then, at the 

 beginning of a rise of May fly, or of any other flying insect, 

 you fail to hook the fish you strike at, you will probably 

 find it worth your while before striking, to give the trout 

 time enough to shift his grip from what may be only the 

 wing of the fly presented to him. 



The failure to hook a rising fish then, may be due, first 

 of all, to striking in a tardy or slow manner, and secondly, 

 on rare occasions, to striking too quickly. 



I have heard that a well-known authority on the entomology 

 of our chalk streams has declared that in a May fly rise 

 the numerals up to three should be repeated aloud after 

 the trout has seized the fly, and before the strike is made. 

 Any such dictum must of course be regarded as contro- 

 vertible, however successful it may be under circumstances 

 such as those mentioned above, or when the trout are 

 " coming short," and " playing with " or " drowning " 

 your fly. 



