WET FLY TROUT FISHING 123 



in typical wet fly streams. In the clear water 

 of a gentle chalk stream the habits both of the 

 trout and of the flies on which they feed can 

 be studied almost as in an aquarium : not only 

 can more be seen, but observation can be more 

 constant ; no floods change the conditions of 

 the river and disturb the fish, while the constant 

 and abundant supply of food has produced a 

 greater tendency to regular habits on the part of 

 the trout. There is nothing in this to detract in 

 any way from the merit of the authors referred 

 to, but it does to some extent account for the pre- 

 eminence of scientific research and knowledge in 

 the books devoted specially to dry fly rivers. 



When, however, we come to discuss the skill 

 required for one method or the other, com- 

 parison is not so easy. Some dry fly anglers 

 may have spoken of wet fly fishing as a " chuck 

 and chance it " style, by which small fish are 

 caught easily in coloured water on coarse tackle. 

 Some wet fly anglers, on the other hand, may 

 have expressed a belief that all the talk about 

 dry flies is superfluous, and that large well-fed 

 trout in clear and smooth water, can be caught 

 by the methods, skilfully applied, which are 



