FISHING AT HOME AND ABROAD 

 close together in about two feet of water, and the biggest trout seemed 

 to have no evil designs upon the small chaps near him. As soon as it was 

 hooked he pounced upon the little one and held on like a bull -dog. 



Red is attractive to many game fish, red and white will sometimes excite 

 them if moved briskly through the water, and big queer flies may induce 

 strange performances. I have seen trout run at monstrosities of this sort, 

 leap over them and even pounce upon them. Of recent years I have not tried 

 many of these experiments. I do not have the same opportunities, and the 

 trout hide away more closely during the low water. The instinct for self- 

 preservation may be inherited, and the big fish may have learned by bitter 

 experience that they are in danger of being speared, snared or snagged 

 if they expose themselves when the water is low. It is astonishing what 

 can be done in this line by men of experience, who care not at all how they 

 kill trout provided they can reduce them to possession. It was a great plea- 

 sure to follow the movements of the fish day after day, to know just what 

 they did and the peculiarities of individuals. One had to have a moderate 

 elevation above the water, and the sun in the best position for the pool 

 chosen for observation. 



It is most interesting to follow the colours of the naturals in fly fishing, 

 but one could make a good case for any theory by quoting only instances 

 that supported it, strict imitation, colour, method of preservation, etc. 

 It is best, probably, to keep an open mind, study your stream and your fish, 

 and please the latter if you can, but it is not so easy when the water is un- 

 familiar and you have only one or two days on it. Red Quill, Silver Sedge, 

 Hare's-ear Sedge, Whirling Blue, Blue Dun, Yellow Dun, Wickham, Gold- 

 ribbed Hare's -ear, a yellow May -fly, and spent gnats, is a good list of 

 English flies. Lists of American flies will be found in many British cata- 

 logues of fishing tackle. There are dun-coloured caddis flies, dark and 

 light, large and small, big red spinners and little ones, but no confusing 

 superfluity is necessary. You find a small fly that you fancy is a Jenny - 

 spinner, but it turns out to be a dun, and only becomes a first-rate 

 Jenny, with glassy wings, after transformation. It is not a bad idea 

 to have first-rate files that resemble the natural, tied in several shades, 

 say dark, medium and light. They may answer for several species that 

 vary only a little in size, yet are decidedly different in the shade of the colour 

 — say dun or yellow. We all know how important the presentation of our 

 invitation is. An insect that fioats serenely upon the water until its wings 

 are dry seems a simple problem if we avoid the *' drag," but how about 

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