104 DRY-FLY FISHING 



have noted the rise to the other rod, marked the 

 strike, and waited for the coming of its effect ; it 

 was slow. We have asked that the same be done 

 for us, and we, who considered ourselves quick on 

 the strike, learned that we were not. It may sur- 

 prise some who do not know it to hear that the first 

 action of the strike as usually made is to lower the 

 point of the rod ; that adds appreciably to the time 

 taken. 



Then there is the trout itself. It may be heavy 

 or light, lazy or agile, hungry or well-fed, slow or 

 quick, and it may rise in many different ways. We 

 have been recommended to count six slowly and 

 then strike. If we carried out that advice on Loch 

 Dochart, we should usually be striving to hit a trout 

 that was anything up to fifty yards away from the 

 fly that had deceived it. We suspect that those 

 who so advise us are in the habit of fishing for trout 

 which rise slowly to intercept a fly and roll lazily 

 over it. We know trout of that kind, and we hook 

 them by lifting the rod slowly until the line is tight, 

 commencing the movement as soon as we see the 

 rise. We are well acquainted with trout which are 

 so agile that, unless the line is straight all through 

 and unless we strike as quickly as we possibly can, 

 we are bound to miss them. Many of these we 

 have hooked by the tail, and that shows that we 

 were rather slow and the trout not quick enough. 



We fish all kinds of water, sluggish and swift, 

 running and still, inhabited by trout varying in 

 weight from quarter of a pound up to more than 

 three pounds, and exhibiting all the variety that 

 the race is capable of, and we know that instruc- 

 tions of a definite nature cannot be given. We 



