34 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



fly. As it reached the rapidly flattening water 

 below the rock, he turned and took it viciously, 

 immediately darting up-stream again. He was 

 soundly hooked, however, and I netted a fine 

 fish lacking one ounce of being a pound and a 

 half. My experience heretofore had been that 

 if a fly were placed a yard or so above this point 

 and allowed to float down to the rock a feeding 

 fish would rush forward often as much as two 

 feet and take it, immediately turning or back- 

 ing into his position again. I had assumed from 

 this observation that when the fly passed the 

 rock or backwater without a rise it should be 

 retrieved and another try made. This fish sat- 

 isfied me, however, that when really feeding, or 

 when inclined to feed, trout may be lured com- 

 paratively long distances by inviting looking 

 morsels. Either he did not decide to take the 

 fly until just as it was passing him or else he 

 liked the exercise of the chase. In any event, 

 he was not peculiar in his habit, because four 

 more fish were taken in the same manner the 

 same day. 



In most cases when the fly is cast above a 

 boulder lying in swift water (which I consider, 

 under certain conditions, one of the best places 

 to look for brown trout) it will be taken as it 



