74 
THE 1 ROUT. 
ning trout,” this at once recommends itself as the perfection of 
the art ; but as it is considered by a majority of our brethren 
more difficult than worm fishing, it has many objectors. But 
the difficulties are more in the imagination than the practice, 
and when once understood, it gives the highest pleasure of 
the art. Others think they will not take the fly at all in this 
country, and having fished with a worm all their life, they 
cannot be persuaded that with a simple fly made of feathers, 
they can take as many fish, and often times more. Tell them 
that Isaac Walton, Sir Humphrey Davy, and somo of the 
greatest Anglers* the world ever saw, adopted this mode 
altogether, and that all writers on Angling have devoted 
pages of their works to explanatory drawings, &c., in refer- 
ence to it; that it is the most gentlemanly, the most elegant, 
the least trouble ; that you can take your rod enclosed in a 
small bag a couple of feet long, and about half a pound in 
weight, or in the more portable form of a walking stick, and 
your flies in your pocket-book ; that you can traverse the 
stream, and enjoy its beautiful scenery for miles and miles 
with the least possible trouble; and they will still adhere to 
their only method of worm fishing. 
From the fact of there being comparatively few who 
practice with the fly, some English writers are of the opinion 
that there are no jly-jiskers in America , and many of our own 
countrymen think there are very few; but this is a great 
mistake. There are hundreds of good fly anglers, and many 
that can throw a fly with the most experienced of Europe. 
In the Spring, when the streams are muddy, the worm, of 
course, is preferred, as it is the only method that can be 
practised, owing to the state of the water, and also from the 
fact that the trout lie deep, and in the holes under the banks. 
It is also sometimes better towards the close of the day in 
summer ; the worm will then tempt the trout when nothing 
else will. But as a general rule, in clear streams, no matter 
