210 DRY-FLY FISHING 



The hatch of flies may on occasions be pheno- 

 menally large, causing the trout to rise with appar- 

 ently complete unanimity, and rendering the angler 

 as excited as the fish themselves. As is well- 

 known, it is very difficult under such circum- 

 stances to deceive an experienced specimen, the 

 artificial representation having poor prospect of 

 success amid so much competition, but the pro- 

 bability of acceptance is considerably increased 

 if attention is concentrated on one individual. 

 If the unfortunate conclusion must be made that 

 it is indifferent to all attempts at deception then 

 another should be selected ; but hurried move- 

 ments and haphazard casting will almost certainly 

 prove utterly useless. 



The angler, however, may, and should, con- 

 duct the campaign on a totally different plan, 

 and he will readily do so if he will but remem- 

 ber that a hatch is confined to a comparatively 

 small area, that it is not occurring over a large 

 extent of water at the same moment. The tempta- 

 tion to remain in close proximity to rising trout 

 is certainly very great and admittedly difficult 

 to resist, but the tendency must be overcome if 

 sport rather than disappointment is to be his fate. 



When confronted with such an occurrence we 

 tear ourselves away from what we now know 

 will fill us with irritation, and seek a favourite 

 or promising pool either up or down stream, wher- 

 ever fancy directs, so that we shall be well placed 

 to take advantage of the first of the hatch there 

 or, alternatively, the final minutes of the rise in 

 progress. Such tactics have seldom in our experi- 

 ence failed to succeed, and we have always felt 



