DRY FLY FISHING 77 



tied with soft hackles, and on the same sized hook 

 as the duns. It is always worth while to float 

 this over an obstinate trout, and on many days 

 at all seasons it has taken one or two brace of 

 trout, which I am convinced I should not have 

 succeeded in rising with the winged flies. There 

 are occasions when the black hackle will take 

 trout one after the other. I have a note of one 

 evening, June 16, 1894, after the trout had taken 

 a red quill well in the day-time. I had left off 

 about two o'clock, and returned to the same 

 meadow about six o'clock. The fish were rising 

 again, but very quietly, and they persistently 

 disregarded the same red quills that had been 

 successful before. The black hackle was offered 

 to them dry, and six fish were landed with it. 

 One cannot of course expect the same success 

 with this fly on every evening, but on many 

 evenings, when the trout have been rising in 

 their quiet evening way between six and eight 

 o'clock, I have found the black hackle used dry 

 better than any other fly. 



I once had a remarkable experience with this 

 fly. It was on July 16, 1892. There was very 

 little rise in the morning ; a few fish were seen, 



