UP-STREAM OR DOWN-STREAM ? 115 



Fig. 2 the wrong. If a fish rises, a slight upward or down- 

 ward turn of the wrist will be sufficient to fix the hook, and 

 here, as in spinning, the downward strike is preferable, but 

 beware of striking too hard, the lightest twitch is not only 

 sufficient but far the best. As to giving any direct rules when 

 to strike, they would be of little avail, as sometimes fish rise 

 quickly and take quickly ; sometimes with more circumspec- 

 tion, and sometimes altogether falsely practice alone will 

 teach the angler what to do, and how and when to do it. 



And now a word or two about the much discussed point as 

 to fishing up-stream or down, though what there is to discuss 

 in it, or how any difference of opinion can exist, I cannot 

 understand. The angler should never fish down-stream if 

 he can by any possibility fish up. The fish lie with their heads 

 up-stream. They see the flies coming down towards them 

 and they rise to meet them. The angler is far behind them, 

 and of course they are not so likely to see him. If a fish takes the 

 fly fairly then the angler will, if he strikes properly, hardly 

 ever miss his fish, because he pulls the fly towards, and as it 

 were into, the fish's mouth, whereas in fishing down he will 

 perpetually pull it out of his mouth ; added to this, in fishing 

 down every fish for twenty yards can see him coming, and 

 the best will cease rising and take shelter under some weed. 

 Again, if he hooks a good fish that requires play he must 

 take it down over unfished ground disturbing every fish for 

 some distance, or create much disturbance of the water and 

 risk breaking the hold or the tackle. If the wind or the 

 rapidity of the stream prevent the angler from casting directly 

 up-stream, he should cast across and as well up as he can, and 

 still let the fly float down until it becomes a tight line extended 

 straight below him down-stream. But even then he should 

 work up-stream if possible. But to cast down-stream and work 

 the fly up against it is not /y-fishing. I do not, however, deny 

 that plenty of fish may be killed so, but the number and size 

 will be heavily in favour of up or cross-stream fishing. If the 

 angler must fish down-stream he should still cast across and 

 let the fly drift down, and if he must cast straight down let 

 him cast rather short, keeping the rod pretty upright when 

 the line is delivered, and as soon as the fly alights on the water, 

 he can, by dropping the point as low as is convenient, still 

 allow his fly to drop down-stream. If, however, he will cast 

 down and draw up he will find it pay better, if having made his 

 cast he lets the fly sink some inches under water, even to mid- 



