FLIES. 7 9 



most of these occasions the trout take better, not 

 because the new fly is more to their liking, but 

 because as the day advances they are more in- 

 clined to feed. We have frequently proved this by 

 rechanging to our flies which at first proved un- 

 successful, and have almost invariably found they 

 were as killing as their predecessors. Other causes 

 also operate. The thread of gut on which the fly 

 is dressed is of more importance than the fly 

 itself; and those professional anglers who haunt 

 most southern streams, and whose " fail-me-never " 

 is the only fly suitable for the water because they 

 expect to be well paid for it take care to have 

 their flies dressed on fine gut. 



Such a difference does the gut make, that if an 

 angler will take two threads of gut of the same 

 thickness, but one of a glossy white colour, and 

 the other clear and transparent, and dress two flies 

 upon them exactly alike, the fly dressed on the 

 clear gut will kill two trout for one which the fly 

 dressed on the white gut will. The shape of the 

 fly will also make a great difference, and really 

 practical anglers, such as all those who make their 

 living by it are, do not put a third of the feathers 

 on their flies that some town-made ones have. 



We have frequently got flies, which, we were 

 assured, were exact imitations of some fly on the 

 water at the time, and which the donors were cer- 

 tain would kill more trout than any other, but on 

 trying them we did not find them so deadly as 



