DAY FISHING WITH FLY 67 



accustomed to mount a number 13 for brown trout, try 

 a number 10 for sea-trout. For this class of fishing I 

 usually rely on a Rusty Brown or a March Brown. 



For all my fly angling I use hackled flies, as I am 

 confident that they are better than the winged type, but, 

 of course, this is purely a matter of taste. 



For wet fly work I never depart from our old friend, 

 the Dusty Miller, as first choice when the water is ex- 

 ceptionally low, although Jock Scott and Silver Doctor 

 are in the placings if my favourite is rejected. In 

 selecting flies for day duty a wise point to remember is 

 that sea-trout seem to prefer pretty colours. A bit of 

 gold or silver twist will often cause the wily old fish to 

 slip from its path of rectitude. 



A noteworthy example of the sea-trout's partiality for 

 bright colours came to my notice a couple of seasons 

 ago. One very hot morning in August, I had been 

 trying ineffectually to coax a sea-trout to forget itself. 

 The sun's rays were scorching and fishing seemed more 

 than a pastime. On the far bank was a cluster of trees 

 which cast a seductive shade on the closely cropped 

 grass, and I decided to exchange warm work for refreshing 

 leisure. 



As I crossed a road bridge I could not resist the tempta- 

 tion to examine the water, and, when my eyes became 

 accustomed to the rippling flow, I espied half a dozen 

 sea-trout sheltering in deep water beneath a tangle of 

 overhanging bushes. Immediately all feelings of fatigue 

 deserted me and, selecting a well concealed position on 

 the bank, my fly was sent on its mission. Again and 

 again I cast without reply, and a change of flies was 

 unproductive. 



Thinking that probably I had sent the sea-trout scut- 

 ling upstream in consequence of my repeated throws, I 

 returned to the bridge for the purpose of observations 



