TROUT FLIES. 75 



likely may reject, springing aside to seize another 

 of a kind which he approves. 



As the trout are feeding on these insects in all 

 states ; both at the bottom and as they ascend to the 

 surface, no wonder that people sometimes catch a 

 few trouts with very ill-formed flies, even without 

 wings altogether. Yet this is not a sufficient reason 

 why you should not have a fly formed to give as 

 much as possible the shape, colour, and appearance 

 of the natural fly in its state of fullest perfection ; 

 and, for this purpose, I will here briefly give you 

 my selection of trout flies, imitated so as best to 

 promote general success throughout the season. I 

 shall reduce them to only a few in my description, 

 as I have found only a very few really necessary in 

 my general practice. 



But first allow me to observe, that if you go out 

 a-trouting about nine or ten o'clock on a mild March 

 or April day, you may thrash away perhaps an hour 

 or two without seeing a natural fly, or a trout rise. 

 At last, unexpectedly, you will hook a trout with 

 your flies carelessly half-sunk in the water ; and 

 before you have landed it, you will perceive the 

 trouts all in a plunge nothing but heads and tails 

 flapping amidst myriads of pretty large flies, which, 

 according as the light strikes them, may cause the 



