Comparison between Worm and Fly Fishing. 119 



Worm-fishing has its admirers ; and its votaries will tell 

 you that it requires far more science than Fly-fishing ; 

 but such an assertion is preposterous. I quite agree with 

 Mr. Stewart, p. 48, in opposition to Mr. Stoddart, that 

 there is more merit in Fly than in Worm fishing, no 

 matter in what state the water may be, and as the former 

 is more difficult, so is there more exquisite pleasure in 

 excelling in that branch which ranks the highest as sport. 

 But we will just compare the two. 



A Worm-fisher and a Fly-fisher go out for a day's sport. 

 They understand the water they are about to angle in, 

 and the haunts of the trout there. Is it to be allowed 

 for one moment that more science is required to cast a 

 natural bait, into a place where a trout is feeding, than to 

 throw an artificial fly so as to give it the appearance of a 

 natural one ? The natural bait requires no deceptive aid ; 

 but the artificial fly demands the exercise of all the 

 faculties of the Angler to enable him to overcome the 

 disadvantages under which he labours when using it, to 

 say nothing of mental and manual ingenuity that have 

 been called into play in previously preparing it. There- 

 fore, there cannot be a shadow of doubt as to which method 

 requires more science. The fact that at times one 

 Angler can kill more fish with a natural worm, than 

 another can with the artificial fly, does not prove the one 

 more scientific than the other. A good sovereign will at 

 any time pass better than a counterfeit; but to pass a 

 counterfeit for the sterling article requires that it should 

 bear the nearest possible resemblance to it, as well as lay 

 claim to such resemblance, thus rendering the deception 

 doubly difficult ; so it is with the artificial fly : it has to 

 be passed off for the natural one. 



To the dull monotony which attends the Worm -fisher, 

 or ground-angler, when his mind is not constantly engaged 

 by the avidity of the finny tribe, the Fly-fisher is quite 



