FLIES AND FLY FISHING. 21 



traordinary ; one would have thought that by this time the 

 right way must have been discovered, for it is not a matter 

 that will allow of any compromise. There cannot be two 

 good fishermen holding different opinions on this subject. 

 The one who is wrong can know very little either of the 

 art of fly fishing or of the habits of the fish. 



I know there is no use trying to convince men against 

 their wills, but to those who are still undecided, as I am 

 trying to give the results of a very long and very large 

 experience in fly fishing, I say always fish down stream. 

 I do not mean that you must always cast down and l^elow 

 where you are standing, or even in a straight line across ; 

 you may cast your flies a good deal higher up the stream 

 than yourself, and yet fish down stream. Fishing down 

 stream means that the rod should be always pointing, or, 

 as it were, bearing up stream, whilst your flies are going 

 down. Throwing directly up and allowing your flies to 

 come down by themselves towards you is not fly fishing 

 at all, and the imitations in their descent have not the 

 slightest resemblance to the natural flies. There are very 

 few men who actually fish in this manner ; but there are 

 numbers who say and fancy that they do. Many men 

 who always describe their mode as fishing up stream, 

 only throw rather higher than they are standing, and 



