60 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. 



success. But in all our small rivers and waters, 

 when they are low and clear, not one angler out of 

 twenty meets with much sport, and the reason of it 

 is, because the clearness of the water either allows 

 the trout to see him, or enables them to detect the 

 artificial nature of his lure ; and to meet these diffi- 

 culties as far as possible, is the great object to be 

 aimed at in fly-fishing. 



The great error of fly-fishing, as usually practised, 

 and as recommended to be practised by books, is 

 that the angler fishes down stream, whereas he should 

 fish up. 



We believe we are not beyond the mark in 

 stating that ninety-nine anglers out of a hundred fish 

 down with the artificial fly ; they never think of 

 fishing in any other way, and never dream of attri- 

 buting their want of success to it. Yet we are 

 prepared to prove, both in theory and practice, that 

 this is the greatest reason of their want of success 

 in clear waters. In all our angling excursions we 

 have only met one or two amateurs, and a few profes- 

 sionals, who fished up stream with the fly, and used 

 it in a really artistic manner. If the wind is blow- 

 ing up, anglers will occasionally fish up the pools 

 (as for fishing up a strong stream they never 

 think of it) but even then they do not do it pro- 

 perly, and meet with little better success than if they 

 had followed their usual method. They will also, 

 if going to some place up a river, walk up, not fish 

 up to it their plan being to go to the top of a pool, 



