264 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



Of all which several sorts of angling, I will, if you can have 

 the patience to hear me, give you the best account I can. 



YIAT. The trouble will be yours, and mine the pleasure 

 and the obligation : I beseech you therefore to proceed. 



Pise. Why then, first of fly-fishing. 



CHAPTER V. 



OF FLY-FISHING. 



[Sccontt Ban.l 



Pise. Fly-fishing, or fishing at the top, is, as I said before, 

 of two sorts ; with a natural and living fly, or with an artificial 

 and made fly. 



First then, of the natural fly : of which we generally use 

 but two sorts ; and those but in the two months of May and 

 June only ; namely, the green drake and the stone-fly : 

 though I have made use of a third, that way, called the 

 camlet-fly, with very good success, for grayling, but never 

 saw it angled with by any other, after this manner, my 

 master only excepted, who died many years ago, and was one 

 of the best anglers that ever I knew. 



These are to be angled with, with a short line, not much 

 more than half the length of your rod, if the air be still ; or 

 with a longer, very near, or all out, as long as your rod, if 

 you have any wind to carry it from you. And this way of 

 fishing we call daping, dabbing, or clibbing f wherein you 

 are always to have your line flying before you up or down the 

 river, as the wind serves, and to angle as near as you can to 

 the bank of the same side whereon you stand, though where 

 you see a fish rise near you, you may guide your quick [live] 

 fly over him, whether in the middle, or on the contrary side ; 

 and if you are pretty well out of sight, either by kneeling or 

 the interposition of a bank or bush, you may almost be sure to 

 raise, and take him too, if it be presently done; the fish will, 

 otherwise, perad venture be removed to some other place, if it 

 be in the still deeps, where he is always in motion, and roving 



* I have already described this mode of angling at the end of chap. iii. 

 p. 59. ED. 



