104 FLOATING FLIES 



from the floaters tied on these long-shanked 

 hooks and am of the opinion that for average 

 dry fly fishing under American conditions, when 

 fishing all the water, they are more successful 

 than the orthodox patterns. This goes for 

 the larger, deeper streams and, as noted, for 

 fishing all the water. For small stream fish- 

 ing smaller flies are preferable. So far as I 

 know dry fly patterns on No. 10 long-shanked 

 hooks are procurable only from William Mills 

 & Son, New York. 



But when casting to a rising trout, even if 

 you cannot discern to what fly the fish is rising 

 it is best to discard the fancy pattern hare's 

 ear, Wickham, or coachman, which are gen- 

 erally best to use when fishing all the water 

 for general results and to put up an imita- 

 tion of some one of the duns, olive, iron blue, 

 whirling blue, and so on, dressed on a No. 12 

 or 14 hook which best approximate in size the 

 natural ephemera ordinarily prevalent on the 

 trout streams. The common-sense of this 

 should not need argument, and it is best to try 

 the small dun before possibly setting down the 

 fish with a fancy pattern. 



From the above it could be gathered that 

 one of the approximately exact imitations of 

 the duns might be superior to a so-called fancy 



