Tin-: IJKST TIMI: r<>K TIN-: CJKKKX IMIAKI-:. 



and is raore often used to excu>r t lu'inscl ves for fishing with 

 a blow-line or the live May fly than because it is really the 

 feet. The green drake is no doubt a very difficult fly to 

 imitate perfectly, but I have seen many good baskets of 

 trout made with the imitation, even in the finest and 

 warmest weather. The best times to use the imitation are 

 of course before the trout are thoroughly acquainted with 

 it, and daily before the regular rise is fully established, 

 and the fish are settled down into feeding, and after the 

 rise slackens towards evening, when the imitation of the 

 grey drake may be used with some success ; and if the 

 angler is industrious and up to his work, he may manage 

 at these times to pick up several brace of good fish. In 

 the middle of the day if it does not answer though it i 

 hard not to be able to find a greenhorn or two when all the 

 fish in the stream are rising boldly the angler can try 

 some other fly, when it will often happen that, from caprice 

 or for a change, the trout will take freely an imitation of 

 Mm* other fly, though the initiated may refuse your imi- 

 tation green drake. At such times I have often killed 

 several brace of fine fish with the alder, sedge fly, or some 

 of the duns or spinners which may chance to be on the 

 water, and that too even when the May fly is on at the 

 thickest of the rise. The angler should bear in mind that 

 while fish are rising there is always hope for him, and it by 

 no means follows that because one fish refuses another will, 

 or because half-a-dozen or even a score of fish refuse that 

 all will ; or because they are feeding on the May fly like 

 an alderman on turtle, that they will refuse a sedge or 

 alder any more than the said alderman will object to 

 pepper or punch. Sitting on the bank and watching the 

 fish rise is not the way to catch them, and perseverance 

 even in the teeth of great apparent difficulties often 

 rewards the angler with fish which nothing else would 

 have given him. 



