1 26 A rtificial-Fly Fishing. 



it that flies may sport most temptingly on the 

 surface, and yet trout may heed them not. We 

 have alluded to their susceptibility to atmospheric 

 influences, their decided and seemingly unreason- 

 able aversion to certain winds with certain states 

 of weather, and their equally decided and seemingly 

 unreasonable preference for others. But there are 

 many more peculiarities in their behaviour which 

 we can reduce to no law, and for which we cannot 

 find even a likely explanation. Some may call 

 them mere freaks, and think that thereby they 

 have solved the problem. But every angler who 

 desires that he should fare the better for his expe- 

 rience, and the trout the worse, will use not only 

 his powers of persuasion to allure the fish from 

 their element, but likewise his faculty of obser- 

 vation to study their habits within it. 



In very hot sultry weather, such as occurs as the 

 season advances, trout become languid and disin- 

 clined to take the artificial fly, except during the 

 night. Then they leave their usual haunts and 

 come out to the shallows in search of food ; and 

 it is during those nights which succeed hot and 

 oppressive days, when not a fish will stir, that the 

 best sport is obtained with the artificial fly. 



Given a showery April and a dry May, small 

 floods in summer, and bright sunshine in autumn, 

 and I predict for the angler a rare time of it. 



