Casting the Fly 363 



well for the old hand, who has become sun-dried 

 in all the ' tricks of the lure,' and can deliver a 

 fly daintily fifty feet from the end of a bean pole, 

 but young anglers should take heed. Time and 

 application only can make a perfect angler, if 

 such there be, and there is nothing that will act 

 so thoroughly as a set-back to the tyro as a rod 

 out of joint with the man who uses it." 



In selecting your fishing tackle for the first 

 outfit, and until you have found by experience 

 what is best for your use on the stream, you will 

 necessarily have to depend upon your tackle 

 dealer, hence be careful in choosing one that is 

 entirely reliable, and who is also a fly fisher from 

 love of the pastime. When purchasing a rod, 

 tell him that you want one of six ounces and not 

 over ten feet, made in what is now called " tourna- 

 ment style," a strong caster with plenty of the 

 springing quality, but with corresponding back- 

 bone. This will answer both for bait and fly 

 fishing. A good, hand-made split bamboo will 

 cost twenty to thirty-five dollars, but you can get 

 one turned in a machine for from sixty-nine cents 

 to fifteen dollars ; the lower-priced ones are worth- 

 less. 



When selecting a reel, examine its mechanism, 



