178 ELEMENTS OF ANGLING. 



noticeable breeze from south or west, and a feeling 

 of freshness in the air. Such a day often comes 

 after thunder and heavy rain, and it seems to 

 make the fish feed in earnest. There is then no 

 hesitation about their proceedings, and they absorb 

 the red spinner or quill greedily. When they are 

 not in earnest their behaviour to a small dry fly is 

 different; they push it with their noses, roll over 

 it, swirl under it, do anything, in fact, which may 

 persuade the angler that they are taking it. He 

 tightens vainly, there is a mighty plunge of real or 

 feigned alarm, and he understands that they are 

 not taking it. 



For these reasons I prefer, as a rule, to fish a big 

 fly wet, casting it to a likely spot, and drawing it 

 slowly across the water. Especially on windy days 

 a rise will more often be felt than seen, though 

 sometimes a wave will be observed following the fly 

 across the water. This wave indicates an intending 

 chub, and the angler should draw the fly steadily 

 on till the line tightens till, that is to say, the fish 

 has got the fly into its mouth and is turning with it. 

 The process is a leisurely one, and there is no fear 

 of striking too late, as there might be with a trout. 

 In fact, one of the principal difficulties of chub fishing 

 is to acquire the knack of feeling a fish and hooking 

 it slowly. The gut for chub should be strong if the 



