62 ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. 



when it rises. In angling down stream, if a trout 

 rises and the angler strikes, he runs a great risk of 

 pulling the flies straight out of its mouth ; whereas, 

 in fishing up, its back is to him, and he has every 

 chance of bringing the hook into contact with its 

 jaws. This, although it may not seem of great im- 

 portance to the uninitiated, tells considerably when 

 the contents of the basket come to be examined at 

 the close of the day's sport ; indeed no angler would 

 believe the difference unless he himself proved it. 



Another advantage of fishing up is, that it does 

 not disturb the water so much. Let us suppose the 

 angler is fishing down a fine pool. He, of course, 

 commences at the top, the place wheje the best trout, 

 and those most inclined to feed, invariably lie. 

 After a few casts he hooks one, which immediately 

 runs down, and by its vagaries, leaping in the air, 

 and plunging in all directions, alarms all its neigh- 

 bours, and it is ten to one if he gets another rise in 

 that pool. Fishing up saves all this. The angler 

 commences at the foot, and when he hooks a trout, 

 pulls it down, and the remaining portions of the 

 pool are undisturbed. This is a matter of great im- 

 portance,' and we have frequently, in small streams, 

 taken a dozen trout out of a pool, from which, had 

 we been fishing down, we could not possibly have 

 got more than two or three. 



The last advantage of fishing up is, that by it 

 the angler can much better adapt the motions of his 

 flies to those of the natural insect. And here it 



