128 THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



head, energetically wriggling its body and busily 

 engaged in exploring the weed patch. This tailing 

 fish is feeding on shrimps, snails and similar creatures, 

 or at times on larvae or nymphs, taking them off the 

 weeds, and if some of them rise up in the water, 

 following them and taking them near the surface. 



Obviously, to cast a floating fly over a fish which is" 

 intent on feeding among the subaqueous vegetation, 

 and is only breaking the surface with the tip of its 

 tail, is a futile effort. It has very occasionally 

 happened that in very shallow water a fly on the 

 surface has attracted the attention of such a fish 

 just as it lowered its tail and raised its head, and 

 in this way tailing fish have been killed with the 

 dry-fly. 



Trout in chalk-streams and other rivers are very 



fond of minnows, stone-loach, 



Minnowing fish. miller's thumbs, fry of trout 



and other small fish. When 

 taking minnows they plunge about in pursuit of them, 

 and the minnows themselves are often seen jumping 

 from the water in their endeavours to elude the jaws 

 of the hungry trout. Minnows spawn on the shallows 

 about the middle or end of May, and trout are prone 

 to take toll of them in considerable numbers at this 

 part of the season. Very possibly this is the reason 

 why there is often about this time of the year a space 

 of many days when the fish do not seem to rise at all. 

 Minnowing fish are not likely to succumb to the wiles 

 of the dry-fly man. 



