IMITATION OF THE NATURAL INSECT 175 



position that it was taken. My observation of 

 this fish confirmed my belief in the necessity of 

 so placing the fly that it would come to the fish 

 just as a natural insect would, floating upon the 

 surface. There is a great difference between the 

 effect produced by a fly cast upon likely looking 

 water, or to a feeding fish, without special care 

 as to where it may alight, and that produced 

 by one cast exactly to the proper spot. 



The larger fish down-stream apparently was 

 interested only in live insects, which is shown, 

 I think, by his utter refusal of every artificial 

 of any pattern, including the Mole, which he 

 ignored each time it came over him, until the 

 twist in the leader, or some other uncontrolled 

 action, turned the fly over on the surface, and 

 simulated to a certain extent the struggle of an 

 insect endeavouring to rise from the water. I 

 am convinced that my many failures with this 

 fish were due, in the main, to my inability to 

 place the fly in a proper position. This con- 

 clusion is supported, I think, by the fact that 

 he took the unattached Whirling Dun which 

 I was careful to float down to him in the proper 

 current after he had refused it scores of times 

 when attached to the leader. 



