Where the stream runs swift along bare or rocky banks drop your fly on the shore and twitch it off into the water — sometimes very effective. Such stretches can also be whipped: making a number of casts and merely permitting the fly to " tick " the water, then finally allowing it to fall and retrieve in the regular way — often sets 'em crazy when they are otherwise indifferent. Where the river suddenly becomes shallow, frequently above or below an island, makes a nice play spot for minnows, a fact well known to hungry bass.
It must be borne in mind that local conditions, espe-
cially as regards food, often influence the lurking places of the fish. I know one stream where the most success is had by casting in very shallow swift water in mid-stream, but it is an exception. Where this condition prevails the rapid is in a stream which for the most part is slow and weedy. Small mouthed bass don't like rapids but they like dead, dirty water less. A village fool once found a lost horse for which a large reward was offered. When asked how he did it he replied: " Well I just thought where I would go if I were a horse and I went there and found him." Use the same " simp " sleuthing methods when seeking bass: go where there is food and cover and travel your flies where food would naturally drift.
