EARLY EXPERIENCES 7 



floating one (a single fly being used in each 

 case), will prove quite as deadly as the latter on 

 smooth water; and where many casts with the 

 dry fly may be necessary to induce a rise, the 

 sunk fly may appeal upon the first or second 

 attempt, because its taking demands of the fish 

 no particular exertion. The effort of the angler 

 to impart a "lifelike" motion to the wet fly 

 upon the surface will often be quite enough in 

 itself to defeat his purpose. Such effort should 

 never be made on clear, glassy water, for, while 

 it may occasionally be successful, unseen fish 

 are put down. 



For many years I was one of those who firmly 

 believed that only the smooth, slow stretches of 

 a stream could be fished successfully with the 

 dry fly. Experience, however, has taught me 

 that the floater, skilfully handled, is applicable 

 to any part of a swift stream short of a per- 

 pendicular waterfall. My unorthodox method 

 of using it which may be described as creating 

 a whole family of flies instead of imitating an 

 individual member thereof may be character- 

 ised by some as "hammering" or "flogging," 

 and condemned as tending to make fish shy 

 because the leader is shown so often. My an- 

 swer to this is that if the blows struck by the 



