A DAY'S DRY FLY FISHING 21 



at which the Loch Leven trout rises varies from moment to 

 moment, the fisherman who only casts to the rise will, however 

 correctly and quickly his fly may reach the spot at which 

 the rise has taken place, be too late, for the fish will fail 

 to see the fly, having moved off to rise again in some new 

 and unexpected position. When, therefore, in such a case 

 a feeding fish is seen at work it is of little use casting to its 

 rise. The stream must be fished, and the fly thrown, so 

 as to anticipate if possible its progress from one place 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, 

 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 I take in the slack of the line as it comes back to 

 me.* 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 ; but one thing is certain 



* See " Slack line," page 50. 



