128 FLY FISHING 



but not easy to attain. In still water no doubt 

 a motion must be given to the flies by move- 

 ment of the hand, but except in still water 

 and in very slow streams it is probably better 

 to let the flies float down and sweep round 

 with such movement as the stream may give 

 them. So much for two respects in which a 

 wet fly angler must be especially skilful to be 

 very successful. He can only acquire this skill 

 by long experience, and my own opinion is, that 

 he can only maintain it by constant practice. 



To this must be added, amongst other quali- 

 ties, a knowledge of the habits of trout living 

 in strong and rocky rivers with streams and 

 pools and shallows. The biggest trout live in 

 deep water, but it is not there that they will 

 be caught with fly in the best of the fly 

 fishing season. In a good day in April or May, 

 trout, which are well on the feed, move up to 

 the shallower broken water near the head of a 

 pool, or to the wide rippling shallows, and it is 

 in water knee deep, or even less, that not only 

 more trout but the best trout will be caught. 



Let us take an April day on some northern 

 river. It is a day's fishing that is before us, and 



