68 THE PRACTICAL ANGLER 



John Younger objects to this as incorrect, but we 

 rather think that Burns is right, and the angler 

 wrong ; as it is evident the poet alludes to a trout 

 that has caught sight of the angler, and safe he is at 

 least pro tern., as our pupils, who first frighten the 

 fish by walking down a pool-side and then fish up it, 

 will find to their cost. 



Others object to fishing up stream, as requiring 

 too frequent casting, being too fatiguing, and because 

 they have been accustomed to fish down, and would 

 prefer fishing in that way, even though they do not 

 catch so many trout. If any angler prefers catching 

 five pounds weight of trout fishing down stream, to 

 ten pounds weight fishing up, we may wonder at his 

 taste, but it is no concern of ours. Our duty is to 

 point out how most trout can be captured in a given 

 time ; and that is by fishing up stream, and such is 

 now the method adopted by all the best fly-fishers of 

 the day. 



Those anglers who have adopted fishing up stream 

 are principally those who were adepts in the old 

 system, and who were possessed of all the nicety in 

 casting and other knowledge so essential to successful 

 up-stream fishing. 



The art of fly-fishing or fishing of any kind 

 may be summed up in knowing what to fish with, 

 and how, when, and where to fish. We have rather 

 transposed the arrangement, and taken part of the 

 second division first, because it is necessary to estab- 

 lish whether the angler should fish up or down, 

 before considering what he is to fish with, different 



