PASTING TlIK FI.V. M\ 



l\\ ncatuess, \\«- uitciul the knack of so (Iclivrrin*^ \\\c line 

 tliat each one of tlie oust of llies shall .ilij^lit upon liu- surface 

 of the water singly and severally, and as li<,'litly a^ tlie tliistle- 

 <lu\vn, \\itli()ut any |)orti«)n of the foot-length, iinuli less of the 

 line, haj^fjinj? or fallinf; in a hi^lit upon tlu^ stream. 



This dili\erini; of the east at the end of a perfectly straifjht, 

 yet perfectly easy lim', is the first j^rcat thin<? to he ohtaincd. 

 If we attempt to throw the flies, except after ha\ini: made them 

 descrihe a full seiuicirele in tlu^ direction opposite to the pur- 

 posed cast, we shall throw thi-m nowhere. 



If we tliui: '»»>t the \\ hole line loosely, it >\ill fall in a l)afr'_'V 

 bi^ht upon the watcM-, probably strikin*; the surface in advance 

 of the tlics, and certainly niakin;,' a splash and scaring; awav the 

 fish wliicii we desire to allure. 



If we check it too suddenly, or jerk it back at all, we >hall 

 snap off all our flies with !» loud crack, and .so remain disarmed 

 and useless for the nonce. 



Ill practising, the novice should use but a short lin(>, five or 

 six yards at the utmost, and a sinj;le fly — and when he can 

 throw that with certainty into a space of a few feet in circum- 

 ference, he may {gradually let ont his line till he has reached 

 fifteen yards, which I rcijard as the e.\treme length that can be 

 numaged with certainty, ncatnes.s, and jirecision, and add to the 

 stretcher his first and seeonil droj)pcrs, nutre than which are 

 wholly useless. 



Having said thu.s mnch of the mode of casting the flies, we 

 will suppose our angler clad in the plainest and least obtrusive 

 colours, at the maigin of the stream, if it be such as he 

 can commanil with his double-handed rod, or wading it if 



Y 



