CLASSES OF CONDITIONS 125 



shyest of trout. Smutting fish are generally, how- 

 ever, preternaturally on the alert, moving about in 

 a small area up or down, from one side to the other, 

 and are also as a rule very easily scared either by the 

 fall of the fly, the gleam of the gut, or the appearance 

 of the angler and his moving. rod or line. 



The fisherman may be unable to discern any insects 



floating on the water where 

 Fish taking spinners in the rise is spotted. Under 

 broad daylight. these conditions he may find 



his imitations of the smut un- 

 attractive to the fish. Very careful scrutiny may at 

 times reveal the gleam of the brilliant transparent 

 wings of spinners, but as a rule the imagines are 

 quite invisible as they float down with wings laid flat 

 on the surface and at right-angles to the line of the 

 body. As pointed out in a previous chapter on 

 "Choice of Pattern," he can then with advantage try 

 the patterns of spinners of the genus and species 

 prevalent at the time. 



The casual observer's attention is too frequently 



drawn to what he will, at the 

 Bulging fish. first glance, take for trout 



rising rapidly. He will see 

 movements at or near the surface of a very pronounced 

 nature caused by fish ploughing their way through 

 the water upwards, moving from side to side, and 

 occasionally he may even distinguish the head of 

 a fish just showing above the top of the water. The 

 tyro thinks that he is now in for a good time and will 



