282 DRY-FLY FISHING 



have made a mistake, rising to a grass seed or a 

 piece of straw, and it is quite prepared to attempt 

 the next thing that comes along. We have had 

 many an offer to the knot which attaches cast to 

 line, but it is the fly we next put over the rise, not 

 always unsuccessfully. We have heard of such 

 anglers, though we have never seen one. If there 

 should really be such a one, he should overcome his 

 objections and learn the joys of a day on the burn 

 amongst the hills. 



It may be true, as has often been stated, that 

 trout will not feed freely on any species of fly until 

 they have become accustomed to its presence, but 

 it certainly does not apply to the smaller mountain 

 streams, for if it did then the unhappy trout would 

 never know the flavour of any fly. Trout that 

 inhabit rapid water, where food is not too abundant, 

 sample first and reflect afterwards ; anything moving 

 down the stream may be good to eat. Their 

 brethren of the placid river may inspect from safe 

 range and then either reject or accept according to 

 their conclusions ; they can afford to be saucy, 

 one fly more or less is of little moment. 



We open the campaign on a long, narrow pool, 

 overhung on one side by a high grassy bank, very 

 deep and still at the tail, with a fine twisting stream 

 at the neck. We entrust our fortunes to a single 

 fly, for in such a stream it is usually necessary to aim 

 at a very minute target, a little run among moss- 

 covered stones, an eddy behind a rock, and whatever 

 accuracy is attained may often be immediately 

 converted into miserable failure by the presence of a 

 second fly exerting its evil influence on the well- 

 delivered cast. For the same reason we use the 



