Fishing with the Fly 



There are several other very beautiful and useful casts, whicli 

 nothing but actual practice under an expert will enable one to 

 acquire. By all means fish up stream, if possible. Trout lie with 

 their heads toward the head of the stream, waiting for their food 

 to float toward them. Their vision above and ahead is singularly 

 acute, but extremely poor toward the rear. Cast above them and 

 let the flies float down over them. They are not as likely to see you 

 as if you were in front, and they will not be disturbed by the dirt 

 and debris which you set in motion and which float down stream. 



6. Switch cast. 



In spring and early summer trout may be found in compara- 

 tively shallow water among the ripples. Of course, where the 

 current is very strong in these ripples, or miniature rapids, it may 

 sometimes be desirable to fish for them from up stream, but this 

 practice is to be avoided when possible. 



The tackle and methods, as indicated above, are identical for 

 both trout and black bass, with the exceptions, while the trout fly 

 rod may run from 9 to 10^ feet in length and for practical purposes 

 weigh from 6 to 7^ ounces, the bass rod should be about 10 feet 

 in length, and requiring more backbone, should weigh from 8 

 to 10 ounces. Trout and bass flies are almost identical in their 

 patterns, but while trout flies should be tied on sproat hooks 

 ranging in size for ordinary work from 8 to 10, or for clear much 

 fished streams, on even No. 12, the bass casting flies are tied 

 on Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5. The most useful may be named as fol- 

 lows: Coachman, professor, soldier, grizzly-king, queen of the 

 water, and ibis, while the green, brown, yellow and red hackles, 

 together with the white hackle for evening use or on very dark 

 days, will be found excellent stand-bys. 



While for ordinary streams flies tied on 8 to 10 sproat hooks 

 and the regulation single trout leaders will be found satisfactory, 



xlviii 



