134

BAITING WITH THE LIVE FLY.

sheltered fish will be by the cunning use of a living insect.

The first thing you have to learn is the best way to insert your hook in the insect, so as to injure it and impede its natural motions as slightly as possible. There must be no roughness employed in the operation. The insect must be handled tenderly, and the hook inserted so as not to puncture any mortal part of your frail bait. If you use but one fly, insert the hook under one of its wings, bringing it out between them at the back. If you use two flies, carry the hook through the upper part of the corset between both wings of one fly, and then taking another with its head reversed, let the hook enter under one of its wings, and come out at its back.

This double head-to

If you are fishing in

tail bait is a very good one. open water, with a breeze blowing, your winchline must be of floss silk, and your foot-line of about a yard of very fine gut, or of a couple of long links of horse hair. Without casting, and by keeping the breeze to your back, holding up your rod, and letting out your blow-line, you can easily manage to make the wind carry it to the spots where you see fish rising. When you dip beneath bushes, your ordinary silk and hair winchline will do, with a foot-line of gut. By twirling in your hand your rod, twist as much line about its top pieces as you want; and then, inserting its

CASTING THE LIVING FLY.

135

point through the branches, as far as requisite, twirl it round reversely so as to uncoil your line and to drop your natural bait gently on the

water.

You can cast or throw the natural fly, but not so well as the artificial one. Use a long, rather stiff rod, with a long taper casting-line, long enough to use without having much of your winch-line out. Cast with a gentle motion of the fore-arm, bringing round your line softly, avoiding any thing like whipping violence, and making your bait float on to the surface of the water. Where the river runs uniformly narrow, use no winch, but attach your casting-line to the top joint of your rod, and you will be able to throw, without whipping off your bait. bait. On this head Mr. Blaine observes, "Whipping, as a term, can only be applicable, by a licence of language, to the act of whipping out a natural fly, after the manner of a short throw with an artificial one; but it is evident that the tender nature of the living insect will admit of this but in a few instances. Some of the house-flies, the bluebottle especially, and others of the middling-sized beetles, as well as the humble bees, will bear a partial or short throw, but a short one only." Notwithstanding this opinion, which is partly correct, I know that the accomplished artificial fly-fisher, arming himself with the proper tackle, will be

136 TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WIND.

able to throw a fair average distance the natural insect, no matter what its size may be. Mr. Blaine, however, goes on to say, "Practice will convince the angler that large natural baits cannot be thrown to any distance with advantage; the fact is, that they are far more appropriate to situations close under the land, where the large fishes frequently lie, especially in ponds, waiting for what the wind may tender to them. When, however, there is a very strong wind at the back, the natural fly may be carried out to a very considerable extent; but it must be by the act of the wind itself, and then the practice proves very successful: at other times the angler must be content to fish with as much line as he can command by his situation, without tearing his fly from his hook. With a strong wind the angler should keep his rod steady in one position, taking the wind rather slantingly behind, and allowing the breeze to carry the line, he should watch a momentary stop in the gale, when by lowering his hand he may drop the fly on the surface as gently and as naturally as possible.”

The drake season, that is, the season of the May-fly, from the middle of May to the end of June, is the best period for May-fly is the best of all baits.

opposite page a cut of an angler

dibbing, and the We insert on the intent on this sort

of sport. You see how he hides himself, and how

DIBBING WITH THE MAY-FLY.

137

deftly he has dropped in his hook and line between

At the period just mentioned, dibbing with the May-fly is quite a rage in the midland counties. We have then seen the Dove, and other streams of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, swarming with the May-fly, and their banks thronged with anglers of all ages and sexes, dibbing with it. Trout and grayling will scarcely take any other bait. They gorge themselves with the Mayfly, and thrive admirably on the nourishment it affords. When towards evening fish are satisfied with the May-fly, they will eagerly take, by way of change, house-flies and moths.

138 THE BEST INSECTS FOR DIBBING.

In dibbing you must keep out of sight of the fish, and cause as little disturbance as possible. You will observe that trout do not jump briskly at the May-fly, but rise at it noiselessly, suck it in, and swallow it; and that they take that fly generally as it is fluttering on the surface of the water, preparatory to flight. They take it so, but they frequently take other flies just as they drop on the water, and others as they sail along its surface. Large fish seldom jump at an insect which is on the water; they rise up to it, and inhale it, if I may use the word, through the water. Observe this operation, and just as it is being completed strike at your fish. As your rod and other tackle are strong in dibbing, do not give your fish much play, keep him on the top of the water, his head out of it if

soon tire him.

you can, and you will

Several sorts of insects, besides flies, are used for dibbing, such as cockchafers, beetles, bees, ants, moths, grasshoppers, &c. Flies, however, are the best for trout. The May-fly, Marchbrown, stone-fly, oak-fly, house-flies, and moths towards evening, are those most eagerly taken by them. The grasshopper is a most deadly bait for grayling and chub.

There is a little book, called the "North Country Angler," and written by a north countryman, which contains much sound information