102 DRY-FLY FISHING 



waving rod ; but accuracy in direction with this 

 cast is attained only after much practice. 



Also it is very probable that he will be startled by 

 a sharp report, whenever he removes his flies from 

 the water preparatory to making a cast. This 

 phenomenon denotes that he is rather energetic with 

 the backward cast, that in the process he is pulling 

 his flies beneath the surface and then plucking them 

 out, and it probably also means that the line and 

 cast are crying out for another dressing of the floating 

 agent. 



If his movements have been quiet and deliberate, 

 and his casts fairly satisfactory, it will be surprising 

 if the reward of a rise is still delayed. If all goes 

 well, a rise is certain, and a fight with a goodly trout 

 will end in him netting the first victim to the floating 

 fly. He is sure to admit that the capture has afforded 

 greater satisfaction than it would have given, had 

 the lure been one to which he has been long accus- 

 tomed. That is largely because the fly, the rise, 

 and the strike are all visible ; but, in addition, the 

 trout is almost certain to be a good one for the 

 river, far better than the average that falls to the 

 ordinary wet-fly. 



A capture, however, presupposes a rise, an almost 

 certain event even at an early stage, and also a 

 successful attempt at a strike, a much less certain 

 occurrence. Frequently, far more frequently than 

 we really care to admit, a trout hooks itself. This 

 statement may be unpopular, as it takes away from 

 the angler a great part of the satisfaction he feels ; 

 but, however unpleasant, it is nevertheless true. 

 We are unwilling to believe it, but we must, as the 

 evidence is so conclusive. Anyone who cares to 



