138 THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



enlargements of the Ordnance maps, and, as usual, 

 the top of the map indicates the north. 



In order to show the direction and strength of the 

 current, it will be noticed that there are a number 

 of arrows drawn on the plan. All of these point in 

 the direction of the current — in places where the 

 stream is slow the arrows are drawn thus : ) — >- ; those 

 indicating a moderate or normal current thus : ^ — )>- ; 

 and in parts where the stream is very fast, thus : ^ — y. 

 A slack or still place is marked thus : ( ) 



As laid down in a previous chapter, the most 



important point for the angler 



Necessity of avoiding to remember is that he must 



drag. place his fly so that it floats 



down accurately over the 

 rising fish without a semblance of drag if his object 

 is to persuade the trout to take the imitation under 

 the delusion that it is a natural insect. At the first 

 glance it would appear that the fisherman's policy 

 should be to eschew places where his fly is likely 

 to drag, and only try the fish rising in the com- 

 paratively easy places where the artificial will float 

 down at the same pace and in the same direction 

 as the living fly. Unfortunately he will find himself 

 confronted at the outset by a great difficulty. He 

 may see fish rising, but a very small proportion of 

 these will be in easy places. 



A trout feeding on flies will almost invariably 

 take up its position at a spot to which a large 

 proportion of the insects floating down are carried 



