The Fishing of Rivers with the Wet Fly 77 



fellow, splashing about, will put down any 

 rising trout. " 



In a " fine," i.e. low, state of river wading 

 must be gone about very circumspectly, 

 especially when fishing pools and thin flats, 

 when the wind is light. I desire to direct 

 attention to what immediately follows. It 

 is no imaginary story, but a reminiscence 

 of one or two delightful days on the Deveron. 

 I do not necessarily rush into the water 

 up to the thigh, when I start fishing a thin 

 flat like this, in low water. 



I begin by throwing upwards to the 

 shallow portion on my own side of the 

 " flat," just wetting my feet, and no more, 

 and then, I gradually switch my flies 

 round (short, quick casts) till I have 

 fished half-way across. Gliding quietly 

 in, and allowing no tell-tale wave to 

 go in front of me as I wade, I begin 

 fishing from the middle of the flat; first, 

 directly upwards, and then with that regu- 

 larity and precision which only comes from 

 long practice, my flies search the water, 

 until at length I am casting close to the 

 opposite bank. Slowly retracing my steps, 

 and moving a few yards further up, I repeat 

 this process, and in this way, very little 

 water worth fishing, escapes my attention. 



