CHAPTER VI 



THE FLY QUESTION 



THE story of the message sent downstream by 

 G. S. Marryat to Francis Francis, who had inquired 

 what fly was responsible for the master's visible 

 and tantalising success, seems to me to enshrine 

 a considerable truth. Marryat, we are told, said 

 that the responsible agent was " the Driver." Where- 

 upon Francis asked what that might be. So a 

 second message came down, " Tell him it's not the 

 fly but the driver." 



The fly question has probably produced more 

 puzzlement and brain-storms than anything else 

 in fishing. It seems absolutely impossible to reduce 

 it to anything like a clear and simple system. Even 

 when, after many years of experiment and the 

 collation of a great number of experiences, one has 

 apparently succeeded in evolving a few general 

 rules, the chances are that the next day's fishing 

 will make it necessary to revise them. The fish 

 will very likely refuse to have anything to do with 

 the patterns which one has just decided to be the 

 foundations of piscatorial faith. In despair one 



95 



