196 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



one just as much as the other. Both angler and 

 cow are in motion, and that alone attracts the 

 eye of the fish; both intercept light, and thus 

 cast shadows upon the water, which mean pos- 

 sible danger to him. 



Anything falling upon the surface of the water 

 arouses interest on the part of a fish observing 

 it; if it be a shadow, he suspects danger in pro- 

 portion to its size and activity; the fall of a 

 leaf, a twig, or an insect is interesting to him in 

 one way or another. Frequently a leaf or twig, 

 if not so large as to frighten him at once, will 

 be investigated at close range. I have thrown 

 maple buds to trout, which were taken almost 

 immediately upon striking the water, being 

 slowly ejected afterward when it was discov- 

 ered that the buds were not food. 



An insect intercepts light, but the insignifi- 

 cant shadow it casts does not alarm the fish, 

 and his attention is directed to the insect alone. 

 When the artificial fly is thrown, however, it 

 must necessarily be with the leader attached, 

 and if it so happens that the leader, or that part 

 of it close to the fly, floats upon the surface, the 

 attention of the fish is divided between the fly 

 itself and the leader, the latter standing out 

 boldly between the eye of the fish and the back- 



