142 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



slightly pricked, or, refusing it entirely, are 

 sometimes scraped by the hook as they turn 

 away. This criticism, it seems to me, might be 

 directed equally well against any creation of 

 feathers, fur, and tinsel that is fished sunk. 



While rather off the main point, I may be so 

 bold as to say that, while the sunk fly method 

 does not appeal to me at all, I cannot readily see 

 that it scratches many fish or frightens them 

 in any way; and, if it did, the recollection of the 

 affair would not linger long enough in the trout's 

 memory to injure the chances of his being taken 

 the next day on a dry fly, or even on another 

 sunk one. Mr. G. E. M. Skues, who advocates 

 the use of the sunk fly on the same streams 

 where correct imitations are presented to rising 

 fish, says that he presents imitations of the 

 nymphae in the positions occupied by the nat- 

 urals; that he rarely scratches a fish, and hooks 

 but very few foul. The inference in this case 

 might be that the trout fastens to an imitation 

 more readily than to an Alexandra one really 

 deluding the fish by its natural appearance, the 

 other exciting only its curiosity or ire. 



While exhibiting an admirable filial loyalty, 

 many of us have been prone to be governed 

 by tradition, and the education we received in 



