154 THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



will place the fly some distance short of the fish. This 

 cast, unless the reflection of the rod or line moving 

 through the air has been visible to the trout, should 

 not disturb its equanimity. Careful observation of 

 the precise spot where the fly fell at this trial cast will 

 enable the fisherman to let out sufficient additional 

 line to place the fly at the next attempt exactly where 

 it should land to rise the fish. It may be well to note 

 here, too, that in failing or poor light, and especially 

 at or just after dusk, the invariable tendency of 

 every angler is to place the fish further off than it , 

 actually is. 



The case of the ideal fish rising under the angler's 

 own bank taking practically every fly of the hatch 

 coming over it with its nose close to the surface is, when 

 found, the one in which the fisherman need not give 

 any consideration to the moment he should select for 

 presenting his fly to the trout. If it is taking, say, 

 one out of six natural insects floating down, a com- 

 paratively small disturbance of the water, a slight 

 inaccuracy and sometimes even the gleam of the gut 

 on the water may be sufficient to set it down. Here 

 it is important that the moment selected should not 

 be immediately after the fish has taken a natural fly, 

 but should, if possible, be timed so as to coincide with 

 the fish's desire for another morsel of food. 



If there should be a great variety of natural flies 

 on the water another difficulty occurs. As a rule, 

 one is too far from the rising fish to be able to dis- 

 tinguish with any degree of certainty the genus and 



