ON ANGLING. 141 



VIII. 



MORE ABOUT SALMON FISHING. 



BEFORE passing to some final words about casting from the 

 spinning rod, I must write a line about a very pleasant throw 

 of the fly, the " switch," that is invaluable when trees and 

 bushes are behind you. Here, and for good reason given, you 

 must not send out the line behind your back. I believe different 

 anglers have different methods, but my own, which answers 

 tolerably, is to gather in the line in my left hand to such 

 length as I think can be shot out by the cast. Then I lift 

 the point of the rod and pull the part of the line that is on the 

 water partly out of the water, and the rest of it, so far 

 up-stream that the fly is almost at my feet. By this time the 

 rod is pointing at some forty-five degrees up-stream and about 

 the same angle from the horizon. Then I swing the portion 

 of line that is in the air down- stream again, in so doing bringing 

 the rod nearly vertically up to my right shoulder, and then, 

 with a forward cast, the aerial part of the line is thrown 

 out over the water in " a belly," the gathered coils in the left 

 hand are released, the weight of the heavy " belly " shoots 

 these straight out through the rings of the rod, and the same 

 influence lifts off the water that portion of the reel line and 

 cast which is lying on it, and throws them straight out beyond 

 itself. It is not nearly so difficult to execute as, I am afraid, 

 this rather complicated description might suggest. I would 

 far rather do it than write of it, and so — to do it — I will 

 leave you. Again — bear with the tedious repetition — it is 

 essentially a matter of correct timing. 



Towards the end of my last epistle I remember writing 

 that the term " fly " was very misleading by way of descrip- 

 tion of the lure that we commonly use for salmon catching. 



