289 



young angler must follow this rule, viz. " never to give 

 himself the trouble of offering his fly to those fishes that 

 are rising for pleasure. 



The want of discrimination, in that particular, is the 

 cause of an infinite number of useless casts ; 'and as, to my 

 great surprize, no author has touched upon it, I deem it 

 expedient to say a few words on the subject. 



Sometimes the fishes will be seen to rise in all direc- 

 tions at flies that swarm on the water, especially during 

 the evenings following sultry noons. When such is the 

 case, the angler can scarcely mistake ; but he will find 

 the fishes so glutted in a short time, that they will discon- 

 tinue to bite ; or, at least, will be so indifferent, as to 

 render it difficult to attract them : in the early part of 

 the evening, at that hour when the fishes are keen, after 

 a day's abstinence, and the flies just beginning to appear, 

 the best effects may be produced by proper selection of 

 the flies to be used. 



But there are times when the fishes are eveiy where 

 rising, yet not one will touch a bait of any kind. Many 

 circumstances occasion this 5 but generally, it is owing 

 to tiie water being so much warmed, as to become un- 

 comfortable to the fishes : they then plunge into the air, 

 which being cooler than the water, or at least, refreshing 

 from its action on the wet surface of the fishes, proves 

 particularly acceptable ; operating with them, no doubt, 

 much the same as the cold bath, at the same season, does 

 upon the human frame. 



The great point to be attended to is, that when fishes 

 rise to a fly, they come forth with rapidity ; rarely putting 

 more than their noses out of the water : indeed, they often 

 do no more than give a sharp whirl on the water $ per- 

 haps 



