CHAPTER IX 



CASTS AT RANDOM WITH UNEXPECTED 

 RISES 



The Wideawake Angler 



WHEN fishing a trout stream the man who 

 keeps his mind on the business in hand is far 

 more successful than the "contemplative' * 

 angler. Contemplation we know that this, in view of 

 the very familiar traditions of the gentle art, is almost 

 sacrilegious and real fly-fishing are strictly incom- 

 patible. Fishing in books, however, that is, in some 

 books, and fishing in rivers and lakes are two quite dif- 

 ferent propositions. For successful fly-fishing the an- 

 gler must be "right on his muscle" every minute. If he 

 allows his attention to wander to the proverbial "beau- 

 ties of nature" or indulges in "day dreams" in accord- 

 ance with the tenets of the less practical literature of 

 angling, a light creel is the logical result. The aver- 

 age sportsman, although not insensitive to the natural 

 beauties of the stream, quite naturally prefers to make 

 a good catch not necessarily an excessive one. 



Striking a trout that has risen to the fly is a matter 



155 



