FLY FISHING FOR CHUB. 73 



as eventually the most voracious is the first to grace 

 the creel. The most artistic method of extracting 

 chub is to fly-fish for them. The surface flies for 

 these fish should be large and gaudy ; if nature must 

 be copied at all, bees, wasps, and cock-chafers are the 

 things to reproduce, the ordinary red, black, and 

 dun palmers, having plenty of tinsel upon them, are also 

 killing. Lake or sea-trout fly size are very good, also 

 old May-flies, and indeed anything that is sizeable 

 and gaudy. A good strong cast should be used with 

 these, especially when the water is a little turbid, 

 or discoloured. The red-haired caterpillar, too, may be 

 used for chub with marked effect, in the way we recom- 

 mend for trout and other fish. The attractiveness of 

 any fly or beetle, whether artificial or natural, is 

 greatly enhanced in the eyes of a chub by the addition 

 of a couple of maggots, wasp-grub, or even a narrow 

 strip of wash-leather or white kid upon the hook. 

 Early morning fishing is often more productive than 

 mid- day or night in the autumn ; why this is so we can 

 scarcely say. The minnow is as easily taken by these 

 fish as any other bait, and towards twilight in July, 

 August, and September, the chub will " run " at either 

 natural or artificial, so long as the bait is clear, bright 

 and well spun. 



