202 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



Swift water in either a rift or a run should 

 have no terrors for the angler who fears a drag- 

 ging fly, if he will first study the currents. Even 

 if he feels that a fish is occupying water that 

 can be reached only by risking drag, he must 

 always bear in mind that a fish is more likely to 

 come some distance to a natural-looking fly than 

 it is to take an unnatural one close to it. A 

 spot should be selected as close to the assumed 

 position of the fish as possible; but this choice 

 should always be guided by the necessity for 

 placing the fly on water swifter than that in 

 which the line and leader will fall. The "re- 

 tarded" drag which may set in after the fly 

 has been placed in swift water, has floated down- 

 stream until it is below the leader, and is held 

 back by it, need not be feared, because the fly 

 will have covered a considerable stretch in its 

 travel, and may then be retrieved. Sometimes 

 the sight of a dragging fly is more offensive to 

 the angler than it is to the fish; and there are 

 occasions when it will be taken, if its actions 

 have not been particularly rude. 



As an aid to keeping the line afloat in swift 

 water, an application of deer's fat, or one of the 

 many preparations now made for the same pur- 

 pose, is recommended. It is sufficient to treat 



