THE BIG FLY. 169 



yards can in this way be added to the cast. One 

 is enough to practise with. 



The novice will find the heavier of his two lines 

 the best to fish with, but after using it for dry-fly 

 work he will have a difficulty in making it sink at 

 first, and sink it should to be effective. When I want 

 to convert a dry-fly line to wet-fly purposes in a 

 hurry I generally rub twenty yards of it down with 

 soft wet mud, which has the desired effect. The 

 mud should not be gritty, or the surface of the line 

 may suffer. I have not found the process injurious 

 to dry-fly lines if they are dried afterwards, but it 

 is undoubtedly better to keep two lines, one for 

 -each kind of fishing, and the wet-fly one should 

 have as much backing attached to it as can be got 

 on to the reel. It may never be required, but, on 

 the other hand, it may on some occasion be wanted 

 very badly. At Blagdon, for instance, it would be 

 most unwise to fish with less than 60 yards of line 

 on the reel. 



The best times and places for this kind of fishing 

 are the times and places at which the 1: ig trout feed. 

 Early morning and late evening offer the best 

 chance with the monsters, and gravel shallows just 

 above or below deep holes are their natural dining 

 places, for there the shoals of small fry congregate. 

 A series of big waves on some shallow at dusk 



