178 DRY-FLY FISHING 



acting upon his line will affect his fly, but drag 

 caused by the water itself is unknown, therefore 

 difficulties are very much reduced in number. 



To fish a loch satisfactorily from a boat one should 

 have the sole use of it, as otherwise, while he may 

 have congenial company, he handicaps himself to a 

 considerable extent and loses many glorious oppor- 

 tunities. Of course one of the great attractions in 

 loch-fishing lies in the fact that it is possible to be 

 in close proximity to a brother or sister angler with 

 whom may be shared the joys or sorrows of the day, 

 but some always, and all sometimes, prefer to be 

 alone with their thoughts, especially when dry-fly 

 fishing. 



Frequently when a dead calm rests upon the loch, 

 the water is dotted all over with the rings of the 

 feeding trout, and such a happy combination of 

 circumstances should be hailed with delight, whereas 

 usually it occasions nothing but complaining groans. 

 The angler should then seat himself low in the bow, 

 instruct his boatman to row very slowly and quietly 

 ahead -such injunctions are often imperfectly 

 understood 'and content himself with such fish as 

 are within his reach. By so doing he will have 

 quite an exciting time, and, provided that he is not 

 flurried in his movements, the basket will soon 

 acquire an agreeable weight. 



If he sees what he considers to be an exceptionally 

 fine specimen rising afar off, he is apt to tell the 

 boatman to set off in pursuit ; both are so eager, 

 the one with the oars and the other with the rod, 

 that in all probability both miss the mark. Unless 

 both can keep themselves in control, a very difficult 

 thing to do in the circumstances, when so much is 



