14 FLIES AND FLY FISHING. 



that the man who is fond of bottom fishing cares very 

 little in comparison for fly fishing. 



By fishing close to the sides a few fish may be taken 

 in any water that is not so thick as to sicken them. For 

 the May fly the water can hardly be too colored. I 

 believe that the temperature of the water has much more 

 to do with sport than anything else ; the best possible 

 criterion you can have, as to your chances of success, is 

 the feel of the first fish you land. If this is warm to the 

 hand your chance of sport is good, but should it feel very 

 cold you are very unlikely to kill many more. Any 

 reader of this can try the experiment for himself, and 

 having done so for a whole season, I will answer for his 

 assent to the efficacy of the test. 



It is impossible to describe the best places to fish for 

 trout ; experience is the only thing that can teach this. 



That fish take the artificial fly for the identical natural 

 fly, of which it is intended to be an imitation, I have not 

 a shadow of doubt, and therefore it should bear as great 

 a resemblance to it, in every respect, as it is possible to 

 attain. Color is of course a great thing to be considered 

 in dressing flies, but it is by nc means everything ; because, 

 if it was, a hook with any of the right colored material 

 and feather wrapped round it anyhow would kill, but as 



