THE YELLOW-LEG FLY 31 



stuff I had is no good. They almost ate me up." 

 "We had a good laugh at his expense, then 

 went to him. When back at the anchorage, I 

 tried for upwards of an hour without seeing a 

 sign, and during that time had changed more 

 than a dozen flies. At last I fell back on my 

 old Yellow-leg, which, my reader will allow 

 me to say here, I have found by experience 

 to be the most reliable of all the flies out of 

 over a hundred in my book. If the Yellow- 

 leg won't start your fish, whether he takes 

 or not, you may as well stop fishing seven 

 times out of eight. I have made this digres- 

 sion for the benefit of young sportsmen. 

 With the Yellow-leg on, I made a cast over 

 the same water I had fished so often, and 

 had only worked it a few feet towards me, 

 when my line tightened, and I drew my rod, 

 but only pricked him, which meant a lost fish 

 for that afternoon. 



As my sporting readers know too well, the 

 salmon does not favour the prick of the fly, 

 although I have not unfrequently hooked 

 him, when by the return cast after the 

 pricking I threw immediately over him ; but 

 this I could not accomplish with this one, so 



