ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING 63 



it will only succeed when the water is coloured, or 

 when there is a body of clear water sufficiently large 

 to conceal the angler from view ; and even then he 

 may have much better sport by fishing up. The 

 angler drawing his flies across and up stream will 

 catch trout, and this is the strongest evidence that 

 trout are not such profound philosophers as the 

 notions of some would lead us to suppose. But 

 though he does catch trout, they are in general the 

 very smallest. Indeed the advantages of fishing up 

 are in nothing more apparent than in the superior 

 size of the trout captured. We believe they will 

 average nearly double the size of those caught with 

 the same flies fishing down, and though generally 

 not so large as those taken with the worm, they are 

 not much behind them, and we almost invariably 

 kill a few larger trout in a river with the fly than 

 with the worm. 



Though our remarks in this chapter have prin- 

 cipally reference to angling in small rivers, where 

 fishing up is essential to success, the same arguments 

 hold good in every size or colour of water in a less 

 degree, as, even though the trout cannot see the 

 angler, the other advantages which we have men- 

 tioned are still in his favour. 



If we were fishing a large river when it was dark- 

 coloured, and required to wade deep, we should fish 

 down, because the fatigue of wading up would, under 

 such circumstances, become a serious drawback. In 

 such a case we fish in the following manner: 

 Throwing our flies, partly up and partly across from 



