102 CATCHING THE WILY SEA-TROUT 



year after year, topped three figures by using it solely. 

 It has also demonstrated to me its reliability not only 

 on the water where it is customarily thrown, but on 

 rivers in the north, south, east and west. In fact it is 

 now as much a part of my sea-trout outfit as are my 

 rod and line, and the thought would never occur to me of 

 mounting another type of fly, for I have no qualms in 

 stating that if the fish will not 

 take this fly they will reject all 

 others. 



It is of no value for day fishing, 

 being entirely a night fly, which 

 seems to suggest that the sea-trout 

 mistake it for a moth. 



NIGHT FLY AS thC & ? P reSeiltS n difficulty 



in fashioning, you may be glad 

 of the details. The size of the hook is number 

 three, Redditch scale, and the dressing is composed 

 of silver body, ginger hackle and teal wing. I 

 have tried a dressing with a gilt body instead of 

 the silver one, but the response has been poor in 

 comparison. Although to me the difference in the glint 

 of the body is insignificant, the sea-trout evidently have 

 other ideas. 



Upon reaching your pool, commence at the tail 

 end, but before throwing a fly see that your landing 

 net is in a position where you can handle it immedi- 

 ately. As I use a collapsible net, I open it and 

 place it in front of me, or in the water, if my side of the 

 river is shallow. 



The first cast should take the fly straight across the 

 water to the far bank. In retrieving the line do so 

 somewhat more sharply than you would in fishing for 

 brown trout, but not so quickly as when spinning a 

 minnow. An almost imperceptible jerky motion is 



