FLY FISHING FOR TROUT 17 



not cast wildly at hazard on to the water, into mid- 

 stream, or anywhere else. It is a useless perform- 

 ance, that of fishing in what Canon Kingsley calls 

 ' skip-jack broad.' It is thrown deftly to the bank's 

 side ; it floats down near the reed edges ; it sails 

 jauntily over the tiny ripples which lap the weed 

 beds fringing the river's banks. Fish that mean to 

 lake the fly are fish which are feeding, and they know 

 well that from the bushes, flowers, grasses, reeds and 

 trees growing by the river's sides comes most of the 

 surface food that is supplied to them. 



The water insects which, when hatched out, crawl 

 up the stems of the grasses and rushes to expand and 

 perfect themselves in the sun's warmth ; the various 

 beetles, ground bees, caterpillars, and suchlike, come 

 from the thick growths upon the banks and fall there- 

 from into the water, obviously not into the middle of 

 the stream, but close to the edge. Every overhanging 

 branch, however small, of willow, alder, thorn, or other 

 tree and bush, provides some tasty morsel which drops 

 into the river near the banks. Every stem and stalk 

 contributes its portion of attractive food for the fishes' 

 delectation ; and therefore it is only very young and 

 foolish troutlets who course about in the centre of 

 the stream when looking for their meals, and no 

 one heeds them. The older, larger, and more worthy 



c 



