20 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



in them fewer and warier, and the difficulties of 

 the angler who would take them greater. Three 

 flies fished down-stream may still be a permis- 

 sible method for those who pursue the trout of 

 the wilderness, but the sportsman should now be 

 willing to adopt the use of the single light sur- 

 face fly when pursuing the trout of our domestic 

 waters; and, if he does adopt it, as he gains in 

 skill he will come at last to realise that it has a 

 virtue not possessed by its wet brother. I can 

 illustrate my point best by quoting an experi- 

 ence of my own that happened several years 

 ago. 



One day, while fishing an up-State stream, 

 I met a dear old clergyman, who, after watch- 

 ing me for a long time, came up and said: 

 "Young man, I have fished this stream for 

 nearly forty years, and they will tell you at 

 the house that I have been accounted as good 

 as any man who ever fished here with a fly. I 

 have killed some fine fish, too; but in all that 

 time I have never been able to take trout as 

 regularly as you have taken them in the few 

 days you have been here. I am told that you 

 use the dry fly and have some particular pat- 

 terns. If it is not asking too much, will you 

 be good enough to give me their names and 



