84 FLY FISHING 



time the gut lasts depends upon the angler's 

 manner of casting and drying his fly, which in 

 its turn will vary with the position of different 

 fish and the angle of the wind. In old days 

 before the use of eyed hooks this weakening 

 of the gut at the head of the fly was a real 

 nuisance ; on some days fly after fly had to be 

 thrown away (if it was not actually whipped 

 off") after a little use, but now it is an easy 

 matter to tie the fly on again. It should, 

 however, be remembered that a new fly is more 

 perfect in shape and more attractive than one 

 which has had much whipping to and fro, and, 

 where trout are large and shy, it is better to 

 put on a new fly pretty frequently, and to do 

 so always after landing a fish. 



The moment after hooking any trout of two 

 pounds or upwards is generally one of great anxiety. 

 Sometimes the fish pulls steadily from the first, 

 but one in really fine condition generally goes 

 ofF with a rush, as if it realised in a flash the 

 full horror of the mistake it had made. Fine 

 gut cannot stop such a trout at first, and all 

 the angler can do is to handicap it by putting 

 on as much strain as he dare. This is the great 



