UP THE RIVER 281 



superior to either, while in some of the deep necks 

 a natural minnow neatly spun by a carefully con- 

 cealed angler will bring to close inspection trout 

 that would seldom if ever condescend to take any- 

 thing less substantial. We have tried all lures 

 many a time, and in summer the longest continued 

 spells of fishing, the least amount of walking, and 

 the maximum of sport are undoubtedly the results 

 of using the floating fly. 



To produce conviction on the point no trial is 

 necessary. It will be sufficient to watch the manip- 

 ulators of other lures at work. They would all 

 without exception pass over as impossible the long 

 still stretches of the pools and such form a large 

 proportion of the water available confining their 

 attentions solely to the streams and necks. The 

 dry-fly man finds trout in places which others ignore, 

 as well as in what they regard as their most fruitful 

 hunting grounds. A high upstream wind would 

 help all, but it would certainly not bring all to the 

 same level. 



The angler who objects to fishing with the dry-fly 

 unless he can find a rise to cover will not be happy 

 here, for he might wander by the banks for a week 

 or more without receiving one solitary direct invi- 

 tation to test his skill in the accurate, delicate placing 

 of a fly. Even if he did observe a trout rising, it is 

 extremely improbable that he could rigidly adhere 

 to his principles which lay down that he must present 

 for the acceptance of the fish an artificial represent- 

 ation of the fly that has just met its fate. 



The unfortunate insect may have been the sole 

 survivor of its race, or a member of a species not 

 classified or even before observed : the trout may 



