132 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



toward the swift, down-stream current and be 

 caught in it. In this event, it is easily retrieved 

 without disturbing the water in the vicinity of 

 the fish, and may be presented again immediately. 

 A fish should not be given up while continuing 

 to rise steadily; he will become accustomed to the 

 artificial, and will take it in time, if its action is 

 not unnatural. An eddy should be fished in the 

 same careful manner whether a fish is seen feed- 

 ing in it or not; but, in the latter case, while a 

 fish may be in position and ready to feed, the 

 varying currents and the difficulty encountered 

 in attempting to retrieve the fly delicately 

 against them destroy its natural action, and 

 prevent, to a certain extent, proper simulation 

 of a "hatch." The fly can cover but a short 

 distance before it is necessary to retrieve it, and 

 this makes for rather tedious work, because it 

 must be brought back slowly and gently until 

 it is out of the eddy before it is taken from the 

 water. In this connection, it may be borne in 

 mind that it is possible to decoy a fish from the 

 eddy by placing the fly on the edge of the swift, 

 down-stream current nearest the eddy, permit- 

 ting it to float down three or four yards each 

 time. If a half dozen casts have brought no re- 

 sponse, it is better to discontinue casting than 



