Fly-FiJIiing. 



121 



trout, as he turned to have a dafh at my fecond 

 fly, when, to my extreme difcomfiture, I faw the 

 collar fweeping down fome yards below, with the 

 trout (for what I knew) ferrying it on its courfe ! 

 The flies I had taken fuch pains to fabricate the 

 evening before the gut ftained fo beautifully, and 

 fined off fo admirably, each link lefs than the other 

 how provoking to fee it all whirling away, and 

 to know that a good half hour muft be confumed 

 in preparing the like again ! 



Never go out without duplicates from the fly- 

 top to the collar, as far as your tackle is concerned. 

 The flighteft twift in the dry gut will be enough 

 to make it unfafe, particularly if you hook a fim 

 before it is thoroughly well foaked. And as it is 

 no trouble to carry two or three extra collars fur- 

 nifhed with the flies in feafon, if you fhould fall 

 into the like predicament with myfelf, you muft 

 expect to receive no commiferation from me. 



I have fcarcely ever heard a fifherman, when 

 fpeaking of a loft fifti, defcribe it otherwife than a 

 marvel in fize at leaft ! This arifes, I conclude, 

 partly from the pleafing habit imagination has of 

 clothing the ftiadow of a defirable object in ftill 

 brighter hues than actually embellim the fubftance ! 

 And partly from a fond feeling we love to fall back 



