ON RAPID STREAMS. 51 



it continues its wild career. In such waters as 

 these, the trout to be able, even if willing, to 

 take our fly as we are obliged to use it, need be 

 very strong and active, and this so early in the 

 season we know they are not ; consequently we 

 could not reasonably expect much sport early in 

 the year, on brooks or streams whose volume is 

 great, and fall precipitous we should rather 

 turn our attention to the broader and quieter 

 "streams, in which the convalescent trout can 

 gently sport, arid in which he will be able to 

 seize our fly, when offered to him in the proper 

 manner. The peculiar kind of weather we gene- 

 rally have too in the earlier months, is adverse to 

 fly-fishing on small and rapid streams, inasmuch 

 as high winds usually prevail, and these prevent 

 our throwing our fly with that amount of pre- 

 cision requisite for success in the little lively 

 brook it also favours most inconveniently the 

 entanglement of our flies and collar, and the 

 hitching of our flies in the bushes, which are 

 almost constantly found by brooks, and always 

 in the way to bother us. Now this high wind 

 (my detestation on small streamlets) will often 

 be found of the greatest possible assistance when 

 we are on the broader and quieter river ; and will, 

 often from its particular direction, whether blow- 

 ing up or down, or across the stream, make very 

 considerable difference in the weight of our 

 basket after a day's exertion. If then we wish 

 to commence fly-fishing in February or the end 

 even of January, we evidently should select some 

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