DRY FLY FISHING 59 



mornings in terms like these, " Get up ! get up 

 at once ! to-day's Monday, to-morrow's Tuesday, 

 next day's Wednesday, here's half the week gone 

 and no work done ! " It is some such fidgety 

 anxiety that comes over me, if I do not get a 

 fish soon in the evening rise. I seem to have 

 the anticipation of complete failure. The time 

 is so short; the beginning and the end of the 

 rise are so near together, that failure in the first 

 part seems a presage of failure in the whole. 



The look of the evening rise is so often the 

 best of it. Numbers of trout appear to be rising 

 frequently and steadily and confidently, but when 

 the angler puts them to the test, they disappoint 

 him. On some evenings the trout cease to rise 

 after an artificial fly has once been floated over 

 them; on others they continue to rise freely, 

 but will take nothing artificial, and the angler 

 exhausts himself in efforts and changes of fly, 

 working harder and more rapidly as he becomes 

 conscious of the approaching end of the day. 



But all evenings are not alike disappointing, 

 and on a warm still evening in June we may 

 expect some success. A few fish may be found 

 rising very quietly and unobtrusively at any time 



