92 TROUT LORE 



a fish. I do not know that I made myself clear 

 in the incident just narrated as to where that 

 rainbow lay. In a stream with as great a vol- 

 ume of water as that possessed, trout would not 

 lie in the main current, but just at the side and 

 well toward the head of the shoot. To cast a 

 fly directly in the current would be the height of 

 folly, not only because the trout would not see 

 it but also because it would instantly be swept 

 back to the angler. The fly should be cast into 

 the little swirl or back-set which margins the cur- 

 rent, across the current, if the stream be not too 

 large. The fly will hesitate long enough to give 

 the fish its opportunity. Strike instantly. In 

 a swift current you cannot strike too quickly; 

 indeed, the trout will often hook himself without 

 effort on your part. Other spots beloved of the 

 swift-water habitue are the little pools below and 

 above rocks. Always where you see a gray old 

 boulder showing its water-varnished head above 

 the flood, you will find a miniature pool gouged 

 out by the ceaseless action of the current; usu- 

 ally below, but sometimes above. Cast your 

 flies a little above the exact spot you wish to fish, 

 and retrieve them with a quartering motion over 

 the water. 



Always fish rapids from below, not simply be- 



