24 THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON, 



or down stream fishing. In Scotland, up stream fishing- 

 prevails most ; in Ireland, down stream fishing is practised. 

 There should not be a hard and fast rule in the matter. 

 Sometimes it is best and necessary to fish down, and again 

 it is right to fish up. If the wind is blowing directly down 

 stream, it is almost impossible to get the line out straight by 

 fishing or casting against it, at least the tyro will find it so; 

 the flies are blown back in regular wisps, occasioning loss 

 of time and temper. (A word in season here never lose 

 temper or no fish will come to the creel. Try to look at all 

 mishaps and many a one occurs in a day's fly fishing in a 

 philosophic light, and you will be the gainer.) If the river 

 is slightly coloured and enlarged by recent rains, down 

 stream fishing can be successfully practised, that is, if the 

 wind be favourable for downward casting ; but all this 

 must be decided by weather, wind, and condition of water. 

 Again, if the stream is strong and you are casting 

 against it, the flies are carried down very rapidly, causing 

 the line to " belly," and if a fish rose now ten chances 

 to one you could not strike him on account of so much 

 slackness of the reel line. Against these drawbacks 

 there is the advantage of working with a shorter line, and 

 the more certain chance of hooking a fish by pulling the 

 hook into his mouth, instead of pulling it from him, as it is 

 a well known fact that all trout lie in the water with their 

 heads up stream, keeping a look out for the food that comes 

 down the current, and as the angler must approach the fish 

 from behind, it is natural that he should throw or cast his 

 flies up ; and there is less ground to go over by walking up 

 and fishing up, than in walking up and fishing down. In 

 fishing down the line keeps taut, and along line ca'n be used 

 with comparative ease. Across and up is a safe style of 



