GENERAL RULES. 121 



to bank. In a large river we should suppose that 

 the proportions would be slightly different, and 

 that the tail-fly would not kill so much in propor- 

 tion. 



The time of year when trout begin to take fly 

 readily entirely depends upon the nature of the 

 river and the season. They never rise freely at 

 the artificial fly until they are accustomed to feed 

 upon the natural insect ; and the first insects 

 which make their appearance in any quantity are 

 the March browns. It is not until these flies 

 have been a week or ten days on the water, or at 

 a time, varying according to the season and dis- 

 trict from the middle to the end of April, that fly- 

 fishing really commences. In that short space of 

 time trout improve wonderfully in condition, and 

 leaving the still water, where they have had their 

 haunts during winter, move up into the stronger 

 parts of the pools, about the sides of which they 

 lie in wait for their prey. 



If the weather is mild, which it rarely is at this 

 season of east winds, the end of April is the best 

 fly-fishing time of the whole season. The trout take 

 with a readiness and certainty which they never 

 exhibit at any subsequent period. Flies are still a 

 rarity to them, and they are not yet shy from 

 being over-fed, or from a frequent view or more 

 practical experience of artificial flies. Other 

 reasons why more trout can be captured with the 

 fly at this season than any other are, that there 



