portant; the actual management of rod,
line and flies, of course, is easier, for there is no stream to be
reckoned with. Though there is little left to be said about wet-fly
fishing where the fly is an imitation more or less exact of a natural
insect, there is another branch of the art which has been stimulated
by modern developments. This is the use of salmon-flies for big trout
much in the same way as for salmon. In such rivers as the Thames,
where the trout are cannibals and run very large, ordinary trout-flies
are of little use, and the fly-fisher's only chance is to use a big
fly and "work" it, casting across and down stream. The big fly has
also been found serviceable with the great fish of New Zealand and
with the inhabitants of such a piece of water as Blagdon Lake near
Bristol, where the trout run very large. For this kind of fishing much
stronger tackle and a heavier rod are required than for catching fish
that seldom exceed the pound.

[v.02 p.0028]

_Dry Fly_.--Fishing with the floating fly is a device of southern
origin, and the idea no doubt arose from the facts that on the placid
south country streams the natural fly floats on the surface and that
the trout are accustomed to feed on it there. The controversy "dry
_versus_ wet" was long and spirited, but the new idea won the day
and now not only on the chalk-streams, but on such stretches of even
Highland rivers as are suitable, the dry-fly man may be seen testing
his theories. These theories are simple and consist in placing before
the fish an exact imitation of the insect on which it is feeding, in
such a way that it shall float down exactly as if it were an insect
of the same kind. To this end special tackle and special methods have
been found necessary. Not only the fly but also the line has to float
on the wafer; the line is very heavy and therefore the rod (split-cane
or greenheart) must be stiff and powerful; special precautions have
to be taken that the fly shall float unhindered and shall not "drag";
special casts have to be made to counteract awkward winds; and,
lastly, the matching of the fly with the insect on the water is a
matter of much nicety, for the water-flies are of many shades and
colours. Many brains have busied themselves with the solution of these
problems with such success that dry-fly fishing is now a finished art.
The entomology of the dry-fly stream has been studied very deeply by
Mr. F.M. Halford, the late G.S. Marryat and ot