WET FLY TROUT FISHING 12$ 



for catching chalk stream trout than for catch- 

 ing those of north and west country rivers ; 

 neither the flies nor the fish in the latter can 

 be so constantly and clearly watched, and it 

 is not possible to describe so accurately the 

 motion of the one nor the actions of the other, 

 and therefore to say with so much certainty 

 what should be done. In dry fly fishing there 

 is an ideal way of presenting the fly to a fish, 

 and the angler knows when he has succeeded 

 in doing this : in wet fly fishing this process, 

 from the moment the flies alight upon the 

 water, is out of sight, and even the rise itself 

 is often unseen. This is an instance in which 

 the pleasure of the two methods differs. In 

 wet fly fishing the rise or the coming of a fish 

 is more unexpected. Surprise is a perpetual 

 element of the day's work. The angler must 

 be ready to strike at any moment, and it is in 

 this constant readiness to strike quickly that, 

 other things being equal, the great difficulty of 

 this particular method of angling seems to lie. 

 Time after time the rise of a quick, active, 

 north country trout comes upon me like an 

 emergency for which I am unprepared. I fail 



