THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 259 



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

 the obligation ; I beseech you, therefore, to proceed. 

 Piscator. Why, then, first for fly-fishing. 



CHAPTER V. 



OF FLY-FISHING. 



Piscator, junior. 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 i't 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 dibbing ; * 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 fly over him, whether in th. j 

 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 peradventure be 

 removed to some other place, f if it be in the still deeps, where 

 he is always in the motion, and roving up and down to look for 

 prey, though, in a stream, you may always almost, especially if 

 there be a good stone near, find him in the same place. J Your 

 line ought, in this case, to be three good hairs next the hook ; 

 both by reason you are, in this kind of angling, to expect the 



* See in chap. vii..May, art. 11, directions how to bait with the green 

 drake-fly. 



t It may be considered almost the invariable habit of a fish, particularly 

 Trout, to swim away from the spot where it has risen at a fly, so that the 

 caution in the text is not far from correct. J. R. 



As the bird termed the fly-catcher has always a favourite post from 

 which to spring upon flies on the -wing, and hence it is called the post bird 

 in Kent, so Trouts have usually a favourite stone to lie near in a river ; 

 and if you kill a Trout in such a haunt, his place will probably be soon 

 supplied with another. J. R. 



