WHERE AND WHEN TO FISH 131 



he is fishing. If the fly is dropped in that part 

 of the current which is turning up-stream it 

 will be carried to the fish in a natural manner, 

 and if care has been taken in placing the line 

 loosely in the comparatively dead water below, 

 the progress of the fly will not be impeded. If 

 the fish has been well spotted, the fly should be 

 dropped a foot or two below him, and always 

 in that current which will bring it directly to 

 him. In this particular situation the first cast 

 should be the telling one, because if the fly is 

 not taken it is not returned to the angler im- 

 mediately, and its retrieve against the current 

 is likely to be disturbing to the fish. If the fly 

 has been carried over and beyond the spot 

 where the rise was seen, it does not follow that 

 it has passed over the fish and been refused. 

 He may be backing up under it, and may take 

 it a yard from where he is presumed to be, if it 

 travel that far. However, if satisfied that the 

 fly is not going to appeal to the fish which con- 

 clusion should not be reached until the fly is no 

 longer in a natural position the retrieve may 

 be made very slowly and carefully, after which 

 the angler may wait a minute or two, or until 

 the fish rises again. 



Sometimes the fly will be carried by the eddy 



