FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT 35 



may not be. Only remember this, fly-fishing 

 was hoary with age before the wise and pious 

 prioress of the Benedictine nunnery of Top well 

 wrote her treatise on "hawkynge, huntynge and 

 fysshynge." Think of the following words 

 when next you fasten a red hackle to your leader: 

 "In the begynning of Maye a good flye, the body 

 of reddyd wull and lappid abowte wyth blacke 

 silke; they wynges of the drake of the redde 

 capons hakyll." No, fly-fishing is by no means 

 a modern sport. 



In a word the theory of the artificial fly is 

 simply to duplicate the appearance and action of 

 the living winged insect. However, two schools 

 have arisen. The first, known as colorists, in- 

 sist that all that is necessary is to duplicate the 

 colors of the natural fly; the second school, the 

 formalists, insist with equal emphasis that the 

 proper method to pursue is to duplicate the form 

 and never mind the color. Now, no doubt much 

 can be said upon either side; but the fact of the 

 matter is, he is most wise who occupies a middle- 

 of-the-road course, employing both methods. 

 There are days when "any old fly" will prove at- 

 tractive, and there are also days when no fly will 

 prove attractive. I have passed through ex- 

 periences which have converted me to the colorist 



