128 Dry-Fly Fishing. 



few days previously resorted to the expedient of 

 having the huge tussock grubbed up and taken 

 away entirely. 



Approaching him now on tip -toe with the utmost 

 circumspection, I knelt within a long casting 

 distance of where he was rising, intently intercepting 

 brown sedge-flies. I changed the small fly I had on 

 for a red quill on No. 1 hook, and sent it forward 

 over him in a line with the natural flies. No notice 

 was taken of it ; nor again and again , until, when a 

 puff of wind diverted it to the right, he moved after 

 it, and, with an audible snap and instant spring out 

 of water, hooked himself. For several minutes an 

 exciting time for me followed, and fatal for him, as 

 he was netted out and killed a beautifully marked 

 fish, weighing lib. 13oz. 



On the 30th, the last day of the trout season of 

 1905, an excellent finish was made in a few hours 

 by the capture of three trout, weighing respectively 

 l^lb., Iflb., and 2Jlb. 



At the end is a concise statement of the above- 

 described sport not so good as in many former 

 seasons ; but to kill an excessive number of fish, 

 especially on a private fishery, is no longer the 

 object of a dry-fly purist and sportsman. And it 

 will be noticed that on most days I have only fished 

 for a few hours, yet quite enough for pastime and 

 recreation, and the full enjoyment of Nature's 



