ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING 61 



trout may mistake the angler's fly for a real one in 

 its flight, is the moment it first touches the water ; 

 and in this respect fishing down possesses equal 

 advantages with fishing up. But this is the only 

 respect, and in order to illustrate this, we shall 

 give a brief description of fly-fishing as usually 

 practised down stream. 



The angler, then, we shall suppose, commences 

 operations at the head of a pool or stream, and 

 throwing his flies as far as he can across from where 

 he is standing, raises his rod and brings them 

 gradually to his own side of the water. He then 

 steps down a yard or two, repeats the process, and 

 so on. Having dismissed the idea that the angler 

 can imitate the flight of a living fly along the surface 

 of the water, we must suppose that trout take the 

 artificial fly for a dead one, or one which has fairly 

 got into the stream and lost all power of resisting. 

 A feeble motion of the wings or legs would be the 

 only attempt at escape which a live fly in such a 

 case could make. What then must be the astonish- 

 ment of the trout, when they see the tiny insect 

 which they are accustomed to seize as it is carried 

 by the current towards them, crossing the stream 

 with the strength and agility of an otter? Is it 

 not much more natural to throw the flies up, 

 and let them come gently down as any real insect 

 would do ? 



In addition to drawing their flies across the 

 stream, some anglers practise what is called playing 

 their flies, which is done by a jerking motion of the 



