3IO THE DRY-FLY MAN'S HANDBOOK 



and an examination of it will generally convey some 

 idea of the quantity of mayfly to be expected. It 

 should be remembered that the colder the weather 

 the deeper down the nymphs of the Ephemera will 

 burrow, and hence to find them in cold weather the 

 digging down may well be a heavy and laborious 

 process. 



Food supply generally in ^ fishery is, as before men- 

 tioned, chiefly dependent on 

 Food supply. the presence of the weeds in 



which the best forms of food 

 for the fish are found. The most important for the 

 dry-fly man are the duns and spinners {Ephemeridce) 

 at the nymphal stage and the caddis or larvae of the 

 Trichoptera. I class these as the most important, 

 because when in their winged states they are more or 

 less on the top of the water, and are, in fact, the 

 inducement to the trout to come to the surface and 

 feed there. It must not, however, be forgotten that 

 in poor Marryat's own terse words, "while floating food 

 is caviare, sunk or mid-water food is beef to the fish." 

 Hence when engaged in his examination of the weeds 

 and the animal life contained therein the fisherman 

 should remember that he can only expect well-fed, 

 good-conditioned, healthy and consequently game 

 trout in a river which contains a bountiful supply of 

 crustaceans, such as fresh-water shrimps, and mollusks, 

 such as snails of the genera Limncsa, Planorbis, etc. 

 etc. The presence of the crayfish {A stacus Jiuviatilis) 

 may also be hailed as of good omen as indicating at 



