192 LOCH-FISHING. 



regulate the size and colour of flies by- theory, but 

 in practice it is much simpler. Keeping the general 

 principles in mind, the angler should commence with 

 two or three different sizes and several different 

 colours, and when he ascertains which is taking best, 

 regulate accordingly. Just as in river-fishing, it is 

 advisable, if the trout evince a decided preference for 

 one fly, to put on two or three of that description. 



The gut upon which loch-flies are dressed, and 

 by which the casts are made up, is in general far 

 too thick. All the fine hanks are selected for river 

 purposes, and the strong white glittering ones set 

 aside for loch-fishing, as if gut could not be got 

 sufficiently thick, and a loch-trout would seize a fly 

 at the end of any thing. It is quite true that 

 stronger gut may be used with success in lochs than 

 in rivers, yet the finer the gut the better the chance 

 of success. In all kinds of angling, it is of the 

 utmost importance to have the connecting link 

 between the lure and the rod as little seen as pos- 

 sible. Their common use of thick gut is one of the 

 reasons why anglers meet with no success when 

 there is no wind, and with but little when there is 

 only a gentle breeze. It is erring on the safe side 

 to use fine gut, and we never yet got a hank of gut 

 which we considered too fine for dressing loch-flies 

 on. In some lochs we have caught more trout than 

 anglers accustomed to fish them every day, simply 

 because we used fine gut, and they used it very 

 thick and white. 



