Introduction 



years his sole method of taking these 

 game fish has been by means of the 

 floating fly. For many months we have 

 "talked dry-fly" together, sometimes 

 almost daily. I trust, however, that no 

 reader will assume that in this book for 

 beginners I shall attempt to transcribe 

 the ideas of Mr. LaBranche, who 

 doubtless will give them to the an- 

 gling public himself at the proper 

 time. But my frequent talks with him 

 have become a part of my angling 

 knowledge, and there is no way in 

 which I can disassociate it in my mind 

 from knowledge gained in other ways. 

 Therefore I render thanks to him for 

 any thoughts advanced in this book 

 that he may, as he reads it, believe to 

 have been the result of his own obser- 

 vations and investigations, or of our 

 various discussions of this subject. 

 The floating fly has been looked upon 



[xv] 



