THE ART OF CASTING 141 



Casting the fly is a knack, and cannot well be 

 taught but by experience : the spring of the rod 

 should do the chief work, and not the labour of 

 your arm. To effect this, you should lay the 

 stress as near the hand as possible, and make the 

 wood undulate from that point ; which is done by 

 keeping your elbow in advance, and doing some- 

 thing with your wrist, which, as Mr. Perm says, 

 is not very easy to explain. Thus the exertion 

 should be chiefly from the elbow and wrist, and 

 not from the shoulders. You should throw clear 

 beyond the spot where the salmon lie, so that they 

 may not see the fly light upon the water ; then 

 you should bring the said fly round the stream, 

 describing the segment of a circle, taking one step 

 in advance at every throw. In this manner the 

 fish see your fly only, and not the line. It is 

 customary to give short jerks with the fly as you 

 bring it round, something in the manner of minnow 

 fishing, but in a more gentle and easy way ; and I 

 think this manner is the most seducing you can 

 adopt : it sets the wings in a state of alternate 

 expansion and contraction that is extremely 

 captivating. 



Salmon will often take your fly on one side of 

 the river when they will not touch it on the other. 

 In high water, the channel side, 1 as a general rule, 

 is the best, and at the cheek of the current ; and 

 you should not be in a hurry to pull your fly into 

 the more bare and still parts of the channel, where 

 the fish will come more cautiously and lazily. In 

 low water it is best to throw over the channel 



1 i.e. the shallow side. — Ed. 



