THE TJROUT. 141 



to which all will give adherence. And this, perhaps, is one 

 of its charms ; for though you may be well stored with 

 the precepts of professors, their precepts vary so much 

 that you have the pleasure of selecting which you shall 

 follow or trying them all by turns. 



I shall only attempt to jot down, in a higgledy-piggledy 

 way, a few observations on fly-fishing for trout, based on 

 my own experience, throwing them partially into the form 

 of advice to " young" anglers, for I will not dare to counsel 

 old ones. If there is no finality, as I have suggested there 

 is not, in the art of angling generally, there certainly is 

 not in this branch of it. Trout, even more than other 

 fish, have become " educated," and their capture is be- 

 coming more and more difficult every year. The individual 

 experience, therefore, of every fisherman, presuming of 

 course that he has studied his art and practised it assidu- 

 ously, is a contribution to the general stock, even though 

 he may have nothing actually new to suggest. 



As to tackle. A cheap fly rod, whether a single or 

 double-handed one, is a delusion and snare. Always 

 buy of a first-rate maker. Lightness, i.e. as far as is 

 consistent with strength, is a great consideration in a rod, 

 as whipping a stream is a far greater physical labour than 

 many persons would suppose. There has been a long 

 controversy as to the amount of pliancy and stiffness fly 

 rods should possess, some persons advocating very pliant 

 rods, others stiff ones, i. e. comparatively stiff. You will 

 do well, I think, to use a medium one. You have greater 

 command over your fly, especially in windy weather, 

 with a stiff one, but fewer fish are lost when playing them 

 with a pliant one. The " happy mean," therefore, is the 

 best. 



