74 



THE 1 ROUT. 



ning trout," this at once recommends itself as the perfection of 

 the art ; but as it is considered by a majority of our brethren 

 more difficult than worm fishing, it has many objectors. But 

 the difficulties are more in the imagination than the practice, 

 and when once understood, it gives the highest pleasure of 

 the art. Others think they will not take the fly at all in this 

 country, and having fished with a worm all their life, they 

 cannot be persuaded that with a simple fly made of feathers, 

 they can take as many fish, and often times more. Tell them 

 that Isaac Walton, Sir Humphrey Davy, and some of the 

 greatest Anglers the world ever saw, adopted this mode 

 altogether, and that all writers on Angling have devoted 

 pages of their works to explanatory drawings, &c, in refer- 

 ence to it; that it is the .most gentlemanly, the most elegant, 

 the least trouble ; that you can take your rod enclosed in a 

 small bag a couple of feet long, and about half a pound in 

 weight, or in the more portable form of a walking stick, and 

 your flies in your pocket-book ; that you can traverse the 

 stream, and enjoy its beautiful scenery for miles and miles 

 with the least possible trouble ; and they will still adhere to 

 their only method of worm fishing. 



From the fact of there being comparatively few who 

 practice with the fly, some English writers are of the opinion 

 that there are no fly-fishers in America, and many of our own 

 countrymen think there are very few; but this is a great 

 mistake. There are hundreds of good fly anglers, and many 

 that can throw a fly with the most experienced of Europe. 



In the Spring, when the streams are muddy, the worm, of 

 course, is preferred, as it is the only method that can be 

 practised, owing to the state of the water, and also from the 

 fact that the trout He deep, and in the holes under the banks. 

 It is also sometimes better towards the close of the day in 

 summer ; the worm will then tempt the trout when nothing 

 else will. But as a general rule, in clear streams, no mattet 



