THROWING THE FLY. 97 



may at once niaik them as at least faulty fisher- 

 men — men who thrash the water, fatiguing them- 

 selves most unnecessarily. I have often hinted 

 that it does not require any violent exertion to 

 cast a line far and well ; and it is the gentle knack 

 by which it is performed — the science supersed- 

 ing the necessity for force — which I am now 

 endeavouring to instil into your mind. Even 

 in salmon-fishing with an eighteen or twenty foot 

 rod, much less force is requisite than is generally 

 supposed. I remember being particularly struck 

 with this observation in practice, many years ago, 

 I think the second season of my attempt against 

 salmon. A few days before I was obliged to give 

 up the delightful occupation, and having previ- 

 ously caught comparatively small fish, I one day, 

 while in the act of throwing, had the misfor- 

 tune to strain the muscles or ligaments between 

 my shoulders, to so violent a degree, that I could 

 scarcely move my arms for several hours, and 

 Prudence would have said, " Pack up, be off, and 

 lay yourself, and rods, up for the winter." But 

 next day, although I still continued in excessive 

 pain, the river and weather were both in such 

 beautiful order, that sending ''the wise dame" 

 to "Jericho," I sallied out rod in hand as usual, 

 I found that to throw, as I had heretofore done, 

 with the same degree of force, was physically 

 impossible : but you may guess my astonishment 

 on finding that with the mitigated muscular effort 



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