CHAPTER VI 



FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 



TROUT are preeminently the fly-fisherman's 

 fish. True, other fish, almost any fish, will upon 

 occasion rise to the challenge of the feathers, 

 from humble "pumpkin-seeds" up through the 

 long list to great northern pike; but, even so, it 

 is the wild, winsome wonder of the brooklets 

 which is most often sought, even as it was be- 

 cause of him that fishing with artificial flies came 

 into existence. It would be interesting to know 

 who first used the "counterfeit presentment" to 

 lure speckled beauties from their watery home; 

 we only know that the art had its rise in pre- 

 Waltonite days, away back in ancient Greek and 

 Roman times fly fishing was practised very much 

 as it is to-day. If time sufficed or we dared suf- 

 ficiently elongate this paragraph, we would 

 enjoy tracing out the history of fly-making and 

 fly-fishing, beginning our study away back be- 

 yond the days of Jesus Christ, perhaps three 

 hundred or more years before his birth ; but that 



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