194 LOCH-FISHING. 



trout in the water you pass over. And as the first 

 few yards of the flies' course is the most effective, 

 you should cast frequently. When angling from 

 the bank, the flies should be thrown straight out as 

 far as possible, and then drawn gently towards the 

 shore. If allowed to remain still the trout would 

 at once discover the deception, to obviate which, the 

 flies must be always kept in motion ; a slight jerking 

 motion we have generally found most enticing. 

 After the flies have traversed a few yards of water, 

 the angler should cast again a few yards further 

 along, and so on, only casting once in the same 

 place. When angling from a boat, the usual way is 

 to place it with its side to the wind, and allow it to 

 drift down ; the boatman keeping it the requisite 

 distance from the shore. If the breeze is strong, 

 the boat will drift too fast to admit of fishing the 

 water thoroughly, and a large stone attached to a 

 rope should be put out at the windward side to act 

 as a drag. Commencing at the bow of the boat, the 

 angler should first cast straight out, and then go 

 gradually round, casting to leeward, and in a fresh 

 piece of water every time till he come to the stern, 

 when he should begin again. 



The parts of the loch in which to fish, as has 

 been before stated, can only be ascertained with 

 certainty by local experience. The amount of food 

 is the principal cause which influences trout in their 

 preference of one part of a loch to another, and this 

 depends entirely upon the nature of the bottom. 



