214 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



stream he will find that about ten patterns 

 will suffice under nearly all circumstances. 



I give the dressings of eight patterns, although 

 I rarely use over six. If I were compelled to do 

 so, I could get along very well with one the 

 Whirling Dun. Fishing the Brodhead through- 

 out the month of July, I used this fly exclusively, 

 and took fish every day except two. On three 

 separate occasions I used a different fly at one 

 time a Pink Lady, at another a Mole, and at 

 still another a Silver Sedge. On each occasion 

 I took one fish with the selected fly, after which 

 I went back to the Whirling Dun, and continued 

 my fishing. I killed one or two fish each day, 

 the average for the month being very close to a 

 pound and a half. I returned many fish to the 

 water, and these averaged over ten inches. 

 Some days the fish were feeding, and some days 

 they were not. There was apparently little dif- 

 ference in the taking effect of the fly, except 

 that it was taken readily when it was delivered 

 properly, and never when it was not. 



No matter how great the faith an angler has 

 in a single pattern, it will naturally be very 

 difficult for him to confine himself to its exclu- 

 sive use. So much of his sport depends upon its 

 delightful uncertainty, that if he does confine 



