FISHING TECHNIQUE 9 



are single action. They may or may not have an automatic action for 

 reehng in excess hne. Most fly fishermen beUeve that a reel should 

 balance the weight of the rod. Fly reels serve mostly as a storage place 

 for the hne, which is stripped off the reel by the hand as it is cast out. 

 Some anglers use the reel to pull in the fish when it is caught, while 

 others merely strip the line in. 



An oiled or dressed line should be used for fly fishing. Untapered 

 lines can be used for wet-fly fishing and for casting heavy surface lures. 

 Tapered, hard-finished fines should be used for dry-fly fishing and 

 many prefer them for all fly-rod fishing. The fines are likely to crack 

 if allowed to stay on the reels for any length of time. They should be 

 dressed with one of the several preparations on the market, taken off 

 the reels, and hung in hanks when not in use. 



The line should be fastened to the lure by a gut or nylon leader, the 

 length of which may vary from three to twelve feet. The leader gives 

 a semitransparent connection between the lure and the line in order 

 that the fish may not detect any connection. Gut leaders should be 

 soaked before using. It is not necessary to soak nylon leaders, but they 

 seem to be more pliable and to work better if soaked first. 



There are two methods of fishing with a fly rod. One method is with 

 dry flies, which float on the surface; the other is Avith wet flies, which 

 sink below the surface. In either kind of fishing, a large assortment 

 of flies and other fly-rod lures is necessary since the bait used suc- 

 cessfully one day may fail the next. Most artificial flies are made to 

 imitate various insects which may form a part of the fishes' diet. A 

 vast number of patterns have been designed for trout, salmon, and 

 other fishes. A true fly fisherman studies the type of insect which he 

 thinks the fish are feeding on and then tries to offer them his best im- 

 itation. Dry flies must float, so they usually have a large body and 

 should be doped with paraffin oil. The line should also be kept well 

 oiled. The aim in dry-fly fishing is to drop the fly on the water so that 

 it resembles an insect alighting on the surface. Consequently, dry flies 

 should resemble adult insects. 



Wet flies are unoiled and are constructed to sink readily. They re- 

 semble immature (nymphs) and larval insects, which normally live 

 under water, as well as adult insects. Wet flies should be allowed to 

 sink slowly in the water, and then slowly reeled in. Other fly-rod lures, 

 some of which can be used either dry or wet, are often very effective. 

 These consist of spinner combinations, tiny wooden and cork plugs, 

 spoons, and feather combinations, which by proper handling of the 

 rod can be made to act like a darting minnow. There are other popular 

 lures such as cork and feather combinations, and small rubber frogs 

 and hellgrammites, which often prove attractive on the surface. 



The purpose of fly fishing is to drop the lure into any desired spot 



