56 DRY-FLY FISHING 



his disapproval is the fact that even a heavy trout 

 hooked on coarse tackle makes but a feeble resist- 

 ance ; he desires no humiliating triumphs. 



The great majority of fishermen now concern 

 themselves with matters to which their forefathers 

 gave only the slightest attention, e.g., with the 

 artificial rearing of trout, stocking of waters, pro- 

 vision of new forms of food and care for existing 

 supplies, prevention of pollution, destruction of 

 unwelcome aliens that prey upon the more desir- 

 able trout, or consume the food intended for them, 

 suppression of predatory birds. By a judicious 

 arrangement of stones and boulders they form 

 new streams and pools and so convert barren 

 stretches of a river into fine trouting water ; they 

 acquire new reservoirs, stock them, and thus add 

 very considerably to the sport-giving capacity 

 of the country. They rear aquatic flies of various 

 kinds and transport them to new waters or to 

 such as are deficient in certain species. There 

 is no limit to their activities. 



It is very difficult at the present time to find 

 an angler who is not intensely interested in the 

 life-histories of the flies on which trout feed and of 

 which he is accustomed to make copies wherewith 

 he seeks to deceive the object of his search. The 

 entomology of the river and loch has the power 

 to interest anyone, be he angler or not, for a more 

 fascinating study does not exist. 



For the angler it possesses additional attract- 

 iveness in that, no matter how great his dexterity 

 and manipulative skill may be, his success must 

 to a high degree depend on his intimacy with the 

 flies of the water-side. 



