The Fishing of Waters with the Wet Fly 5 7 



is scarcely the thing to go rushing deeply 

 into the pools, and streams, with wading 

 trousers on ; scattering the trout in all direc- 

 tions. Certainly the man who follows hard 

 upon the heels of such an angler, has not 

 got much chance. Therefore, unless it is 

 absolutely necessary to do so, do not unduly 

 disturb the best parts of any " water," by 

 wading furiously through them. Think of 

 the angler, who is almost certain to follow 

 you, as well as of your own sport. 



5. Again, never allow yourself to get into 

 the timid habit of playing each individual 

 trout (of any size) as if you had got hold 

 of a salmon. Even with fine-drawn gut, 

 after the first few wild bursts, the safest 

 plan is to play your trout with a firm and 

 steady pressure. To let the trout have it 

 all his own way, is too laughable, and no 

 man can hope ever to make big baskets of 

 trout, who cannot kill his fish quickly. 

 Especially is this important when trout are 

 rising keenly at the natural flies, the time 

 of the " take," as it is often called. 



6. The early spring, as a rule, yields the 

 best fly-fishing in our Scottish waters. In 

 some small Scottish rivers, fly-fishing falls 

 off a little from the 1st to the 15th of May ; 

 whereas in others (fewer by far) it does not 



