398 BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS.' 



Another caution : The angler should never attempt to 

 cast his flies by main strength, for this will accomplish 

 nothing: but confusion ; it takes but little force to retrieve 

 or cast the flies with a well-made, springy and pliant rod. 

 The rod, moreover, must never be carried back over the 

 shoulder to a distance exceeding an angle of fifteen degrees 

 off the perpendicular, for the backward tiirow is really ac- 

 complished by the time the rod is in a vertical position, 

 and this might be said, also, to a certain extent, in regard 

 to the forw^ard movement or cast proper; for by the time 

 the rod is fifteen degrees off" the perpendicular in the other 

 direction (in front), the main part of the cast is made, and 

 the second part of the forward movement is only to follow 

 the flies with the point of the rod, to ease their flight, as 

 before mentioned ; this latter part of the forward cast can 

 no more aid or extend the flight of the flies than "push- 

 ing" on the reins can increase the speed of your horse. 



I have now, in the fewest words possible, and in the 

 simplest manner, endeavored to explain the " mystery " of 

 casting the fly, and I trust the beginner will be able to 

 understand it. It is almost impossible to describe the art 

 clearly and satisfactorily by mere words. One hour with 

 a good fly-fisher will teach the novice more than a hun- 

 dred written pages. I have purposely omitted many little 

 details of nicety and precision, which would only tend to 

 magnify the supposed difficulties of casting, and create 

 doubt, confusion, and a lack of confidence, in the mind of 

 the beginner in the noble art of fly-fishing. 



General Instructions. 



It is useless to cast for Black Bass from high elevations 

 near the water, as a bold bank, a projecting rock, a dam. 



