38 ANGLING 



commends fishing up a stream instead of down, is open 

 to argument. The advocates of this system assert that 

 it enables you to throw your line so that the fish 

 cannot see you, as they invariably lie with their heads 

 up stream ; that this mode of fishing gives the flies a 

 natural appearance on the water; that when made of 

 light materials the action of the current gives them a 

 natural motion. The opponents of up-fishing point out 

 that the want of a taut-line, when the trout rushes down 

 stream, often loses the fish. Good anglers are, however, 

 fond of fishing up the stream, though there is no doubt 

 that the pleasantest, if not the most efficient mode, is to 

 fish down the river ; and where it is possible, fish each 

 stream in it right across. To do this, begin at that part 

 of the stream which is nearest to you, and trail or draw 

 your line at a considerable angle to the other, or vice 

 versa, as the case may be. If the fish rise when your 

 tackle is in this position, there is a far greater probability 

 of his hooking himself, than if any other direction 

 were taken ; and, when hooked, his rushes and plunges 

 down the stream bring him in direct opposition to the 

 strain of the line and the spring of the rod, and so 

 expedite his capture. If it should happen, as it often 

 does, that you have a strong head-wind against you in 

 descending a river, then you must make the best of 

 your situation, and contrive to throw your liue at as 

 slight an angle in an upward direction as the breeze will 

 permit you. Steady practice and perseverance, however, 

 will enable you to overcome all difficulty arising from 

 this source, unless you encounter a downright hurricane. 

 To have, what may be called, an angler's eye, is of 

 great importance in fly-fishing, and indeed in fishing of 

 all kinds. This consists in perceiving at a glance where 

 the fish may be presumed to be, in any stream or water. 

 This apparently intuitive knowledge is solely the result 

 of observation and experience, and no written or verbal 

 directions can convey it to the young beginner. Still, 

 without it no man can hope to make any satisfactory 

 progress in the art. An expert angler, if he sees a 

 brother of the craft flogging away in certain parts of the 



