66 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER 



no amount of mere argument will convince such, we 

 offer to find two anglers, who, in a water suitable for 

 showing the superiority of fishing up, will be more 

 successful than any three anglers fishing down after 

 the ordinary method. 



We have just given the same reasons for fishing 

 up stream as in our first edition, because upon this 

 point there can be nothing new ; and are as ready as 

 ever to find anglers who are prepared to do battle on 

 their behalf, on the terms just stated ; but while one 

 or two have come forward to dispute the theory, 

 none have accepted our challenge and come forward 

 to dispute the practice. One reviewer the only 

 objector we recollect of who gives a reason says, 

 " that so long as streams run down, carrying the 

 food of the fish with them, so long should anglers 

 fish down." This seems said purely for the sake of 

 appearing to give a reason ; and while his premises 

 are undeniably correct, we entirely dissent from his 

 conclusions. Streams certainly run down and carry 

 the food of the trout with them, but along with that 

 food they do not carry an apparition in the shape of 

 an angler with rod and line upon the bank ; and as 

 nothing will familiarise them to such an apparition, 

 we draw the conclusion that that apparition had 

 better keep out of sight and fish up stream. More- 

 over, the fact that the natural food floats down is 

 anything but a reason that the artificial lure in 

 imitation of that food should be pulled up. 



We must confess, however, that fishing up stream 

 with fly has not been adopted by a large portion of 



