A Dry -Fly Purist's Advice to a Beginner. 73 



holds good or brings great success to the modern dry- 

 fly man, nor does a south-west or west wind, if at 

 all boisterous. On the other hand, I have noticed 

 on the Itchen that during the prevalence of a 

 north-east wind (which, blowing down-stream, is 

 generally considered inimical to sport, and is so 

 unless the horizontal or drift cast can be adopted) 

 the greatest rises of Ephemeridse often occur about 

 mid-day for a few hours, but chiefly in somewhat 

 sheltered places. And at such times the fish, after 

 a fast from surface food, rise and take them freely, 

 nor are they then over shy of one's deftly-presented 

 artificial lure. 



Indeed, if one duly considers it, a down- stream 

 wind must really be favourable for the metamor- 

 phosis of the fly, as while it floats on its boat-like 

 exuviae with the stream its wings have the chance 

 of drying more quickly, and it is less likely to 

 drown than it would be if blown by a south or 

 south-west wind up, and therefore against the 

 stream ; moreover, this wind would help to lift the 

 fly from the water up into its new element, there 

 after a few days to assume the marriage robes of the 

 imago, and revel in the new delights of its existence. 



Nevertheless, under the most adverse conditions 

 of the winds, some sport may possibly be obtained 

 if duns are coming up, or other surface food floating 

 down, tempting fish to move. And although there 



