Chapter XVIII. 



THE CHOICE OF A FLY. 



The great question which recurs at every fishing 

 expedition is " what fly is most likely to command 

 success ? " The answer to this question depends on a 

 great variety of circumstances, and an intelligent 

 consideration of these will well repay the trouble. 



Broadly speaking, we may divide flies into two 



classes, viz., " attractors " and 



Types. " deceivers," with the reservation 



that an attractor must be a deceiver 



and a deceiver, attractive. 



If the water is large, or in flood ; or the weather 

 boisterous ; or the fish not rising 

 "Attractors." a fly much larger than the natural, 



or with an extra touch of colour or 

 tinsel about it, will frequently prove more successful 

 than a smaller imitation, which is really a more faithful 

 copy of a natural insect. 



This is what we should term an "attractor," and 

 when the conditions are not favourable for fine fishing, 

 the use of such a fly is often successful. 



If, on the other hand, the waters are fine, or the 



fish dimpling the surface, on the 



"Deceiver." look out for insects, the smallest fly 



alighting on the surface is seen by 



them, and the artificial must be a " deceiver " to render 



131 



