STREAMCRAFT 



Clapham, who has had the advantage of long 

 experience of sport both on English and Can- 

 adian rivers, writes interestingly in the Recrea- 

 tion magazine. "The 'purist,' " says he " he 

 who limits himself to the single dry fly, and who 

 casts over a desirable rise only handicaps 

 himself tremendously. On many days few flies 

 rise to the surface, and the angler waits patiently, 

 to go home at last unrewarded. When such 

 conditions prevail on the top of the water, there 

 is often a good rise of insects below the surface, 

 but owing perhaps to chill or from other causes, 

 the creatures are swept down by the current 

 and never reach the air at all. The wet-fly man 

 would then fill his basket, whereas the 'purist', 

 it being unorthodox for him to sink his fly, 

 would simply have to grin and bear it. 



"A steady and consistent examination of the 

 stomachs of captured trout will reveal the fact 

 that [aside from minnows or others of the class 

 of more sizable foods] larvae and nymphs are 

 the chief food of the fish, winged insects being 

 only an occasional article of diet. Certain of 

 the Ephemeridce go down into the water to lay 

 their eggs, and very frequently they become 

 sodden with wet ere they can again reach the 

 surface. Other flies are blown into the water 

 and drowned, or are chilled by the air and fall 

 to the stream. It is these insects under the 

 surface which most attract the trout, and for 

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