300 FISHING GOSSIP. 



by dressing the flies of soft materials, which the 

 water can agitate, and thus create a natural motion 

 of the legs or wings of the fly, than by dragging 

 them by jumps of a foot at a time across and up a 

 roaring stream. Trout are not accustomed to see 

 minute insects making such gigantic efforts at escape, 

 and therefore it is calculated to awaken their sus- 

 picions. 



We believe that all fly-fishers fishing down must 

 have noticed that, apart from the moment of alight- 

 ing, they get more rises from the first few yards of 

 their flies' course than in the whole of the remainder ; 

 and that when their flies fairly breast the stream 

 they seldom get a rise at all. The reason of this is 

 clear : for the first few feet after the angler throws 

 his flies across the stream they swim with the current ; 

 the moment, however, he begins to describe his semi- 

 circle across the water, they present an unnatural 

 appearance, which the trout view with distrust. 

 Experienced fly-fishers, following the old method, 

 who have observed this, and are aware of the great 

 importance of the moment their flies light, cast very 

 frequently, only allowing their flies to float down a 

 few feet, when they throw again. We have seen 

 some Tweedside adepts fill capital baskets in this 

 way ; but as we have before stated, it will only 

 succeed when the water is coloured, or when there 

 is a body of clear water sufficiently large to conceal 



