60 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS 



Adlington's, I have killed a fish fifteen pounds 

 weight. They feed in the low water exactly as the 

 trout does, and with caution and patience these flies 

 often yield amazing sport. 



But the point most essentially necessary to be 

 clearly understood in angling, and which, however sim- 

 ple, seems generally to be overlooked even by writers 

 on the subject, although the most easily perceived in 

 the practice, as well as on the slightest glance at the 

 philosophy of the case, is this : The salmon lies the 

 whole day stationary on his chosen spot on the rock, at 

 the bottom of the water, four, six, or eight feet deep, 

 from which situation he must perceive the fly on 

 the surface before he ascends to seize it ; therefore, 

 it must be of size and colour to catch his eye through 

 that medium of water less or more agitated, as well 

 as discoloured by earthy particles. Hence the main 

 difficulty of ascertaining the exact size of fly, wing 

 and body, first to catch his observation, and excite 

 him to rise, and yet not to exceed the appearance of 

 nature on his nearer approach. I have often known 

 a fish in deep water rise three times successively at 

 a fly of a very full white wing without effect, and 

 when I diminished the breadth of each wing by half, 

 he seized it greedily on the fourth rise. On this 

 principle is grounded the main reason why every 



