28 A FOEMEU ADMONITION RETRACTED. 



impediments to the straight, right-shoulder cast. 

 By moving your rod before you several times 

 from right to left, to get your line and fly into 

 easy balancing swing, you can cast sideways 

 backw^ardly from left to right, and so fish the 

 obstructed part of a stream lying to the right of 

 you. It would be better, however, to place the 

 left hand above the winch and throw under-handed, 

 performing wdiat is called ^ the hip cast.' " 



I wrote, in " A Handbook of Angling," a pas- 

 sage w^hich I now retract, as containing too strin- 

 gent an admonition. It is this : — " Your fly 

 and gut-line must always fall first upon the water, 

 and not roll on to it by means of the winch-line 

 first coming into contact with the liquid surface. 

 The rolling descent of the line and fly should be 

 avoided totis virihus, with mortal might and main." 

 This is too strong. The winch-line may be rolled 

 on to the water with advantage frequently. Some- 

 times you cannot cast without doing so, as, for 

 instance, when you are fishing close below a 

 bridge, or any other obstructing object, high rock 

 projecting into the water, or tree on either side 

 above you. You must then chuck or skew your 

 line on to the water, which a portion of the winch- 

 line will touch first, sending straight before it 

 casting-line and fly. Although not a graceful 



