42 THE FINE ART OF FISHING 



which, in a more extensive stream, rises only to the fly 

 cast "dry and cocked." At any rate, if you find a well- 

 worn angler's path along the little stream you will have 

 to use some finesse and no little patience and ingenuity 

 to make a very heavy showing. 



Fly-fishing for mountain trout has its technique 



equally with the sport on larger streams and weightier 



fish. The primary essential for success 



Mountain and sport is lfght tack i e _ t he very light- 



otrearn rly- ... ... 



T kl est * -Fly-casting m any true sense of the 



words is out of the question because of 

 the confined and brushy nature of the stream. So the 

 tackle need not be selected with a view to casting any 

 considerable distance; this permits the use, since weight 

 is unnecessary, of a small caliber line. An enameled 

 line, size G, is exactly the thing. This may properly 

 be used on a little four-ounce fly-rod eight feet in 

 length or thereabouts. A very small single-action reel, 

 the smaller the better, should be used, since it will not 

 foul in the brush as often as a larger one. 



A very good plan is to wind on an additional guide 

 between each pair of guides on the rod when much 

 brush fishing is to be done. This will keep the line 

 close to the rod at every point and there will not be 

 loops of slack to become fouled continually in the brush. 

 The thing to aim for in the entire outfit is the elimina- 

 tion of loose ends. The leader should be short and fine, 

 so that the flies may be reeled in close to the rod tip 

 when landing a trout through the brush. 



Under normal conditions flies and bait are about 

 equally successful for small brook fishing. While it is 



