128 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



I have mentioned fishing with the dry fly, and it is at times 

 an invaluable method. With the dry fly, fish may be killed on 

 fine bright days, when the wet fly will be almost useless. If the 

 angler on a bright calm day will notice the class of flies called 

 duns, he will see how, when first hatched, they come floating 

 down with wings upright and unsoiled, sitting lightly and 

 cockily on the water tempting morsels to the greedy fish. 

 Few flies are then to be found in a wet, half -drowned condition, 

 and therefore, if the angler sends one thus to the fish, it is 

 frequently neglected. Taking, then, two or three turns of the 

 fly in the air instead of one, so as to dry the tackle, let him 

 deliver the fly straightly and well a yard above the fish, and 

 merely raising his rod, as the line comes home, allow the fly, 

 sustained by the dry hackle and wing and by the dry gut, to 

 float down on the surface like the natural fly, without motion. 

 If the gut be delivered in a wavy manner, the bends and turns 

 in it will show a glitter and startle the fish ; if the angler 

 attempts to draw the fly towards him, it will " make snakes/' 

 and the dry gut will appear like a huge centipede crawling e . 

 the water. Perfect quiescence is required. It is quite wonder- 

 ful at times what can be done under apparently adverse 

 circumstances with a dry fly, no weather and no water being 

 proof against it.* 



The judicious and perfect application of dry, wet, and mid- 

 water fly-fishing stamps the finished fly-fisher with the hall- 

 mark of efficiency. Generally, anglers pin their faith to the 

 entire practice of either one or the other plan, and argue dry 

 versus wet, just as they do up-stream versus down, when all are 

 right at times, and per contra, all wrong at times. It requires 

 the reasoning faculties to be used to know these times and their 

 application. As a rule rough weather is the more favourable to 

 a sunk or wet fly, while bright and calm weather favours the 

 dry one. Indeed, if there be much ripple on, a dry fly can 

 hardly be maintained. 



It often happens that a fish will lie in some hole or corner 

 under overhanging bushes, where it would be impossible for 

 the angler to put the fly over the fish by casting it directly to 

 him ; but let him not be discouraged and pass the fish by. 



* Since this was written dry-fly fishing has become practically the ex- 

 clusive method on chalk streams, and is frequently practised on northern 

 waters only. The fly is usually anointed with paraffin from a phial attached 

 to a button of the angler's coat ; but a far more convenient plan is to anoint 

 the flies before going out. The oil dries very quickly on them and the flies 

 remain permanently waterproof. ED. 



