86 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



and the fish was back into position again. This 

 time I continued casting, and, although he 

 seemed to "lean" toward the fly each time it 

 came down, he did not take it until it had 

 passed by ten times, finally rising deliberately 

 and fastening on the eleventh cast. He proved 

 to weigh one pound ten ounces. 



To what conclusion does the observation of 

 this fish bring us? If he had been ready to feed 

 before the artificial appeared, is it likely that 

 he would have permitted it to pass over or 

 near him a score of times before taking? And 

 when he occupied what I call his feeding posi- 

 tion, why did he allow the fly to pass ten times, 

 although exhibiting a certain interest in it each 

 time ? It was never beyond his reach and could 

 easily have been taken. Was the desire to feed 

 being gradually aroused in him at each sight of 

 the fly? When he did take it, it was done with 

 such certainty that he must have believed it to 

 be a natural, although quite unlike anything he 

 had recently seen. One thing is certain, how- 

 ever. He was decoyed from one position to an- 

 other on two occasions within a few minutes of 

 each other, and by a different pattern of fly 

 each time. 



