94 The Atlantic Salmon 



keep the line from bellying, which prevents the 

 fly from working properly, and which also 

 renders a rising fish less likely to hook himself 

 than if there was a comparatively straight line 

 between the end of the rod and the fly. A cast 

 in which the fly reaches the water with a slack 

 line should be at once tried again, as in such 

 instances a belly is created in the line, the fly 

 goes down-stream headforemost for half or more 

 of the cast, and water passed over in that fashion 

 is practically unfished. It should always be 

 borne in mind that the fish should see the fly 

 before he sees the casting line, and, of course, 

 the clearer and shallower the water, the more 

 desirable this is. When the end of the cast is 

 reached, the fly should remain there an instant or 

 more, as salmon will sometimes follow it without 

 rising until it stops, or come at it from the other 

 side. One of the best anglers I know considers 

 the end of the cast the most deadly, and says he 

 hooks more fish by working the fly at that point 

 and gradually letting out and drawing in the line, 

 than in any other portion of the cast. Probably 

 this method attracts fish from a greater distance 

 than it does when the fly passes quickly over. At 

 this point the rod and line are in the most 



