126 FLY FISHING 



in the incessant watchfulness of hand and eye 

 that are required, not as in dry fly fishing at 

 an anticipated moment, but at all moments, 

 when the unseen flies are in the water. A 

 double watchfulness is needed. The hand must 

 be ready to receive the message from the eye, 

 but must not wait for it, and the least touch 

 under water needs even quicker action than a 

 visible rise. We fish both by sight and by feel- 

 ing, and many a day there is at the end of which 

 the number of fish in the basket bears a very 

 small proportion to the number of those which 

 have been touched, and which might have been 

 hooked and landed, by greater promptness in 

 striking. My own belief is, that in wet fly 

 fishing for trout the more quickly the strike can 

 be made the better, and that nothing but constant 

 practice can give a high degree of efficiency in 

 this respect. 



It follows from what has been said that every 

 inch of water should be fished with as straight 

 a line as possible ; in still water this is not 

 difficult ; in fishing across and down stream it 

 is easy, except in rough broken water, or where 

 the stream is uneven, in which cases a line, 



