328 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 



and no preconceived notions of the difficulty of fly-fishing, 

 may find at his nooning that he has made a catch which does 

 not compare unfavorably with that of his more skilful 

 brother. If the contrary be the case, let him not lose heart, 

 as there may have been many circumstances against him ; as 

 inexperience of the waters, the arrangement of his whip, 

 landing his fish, &c., which he has yet to learn, and that it is 

 not his casting which is altogether at fault. 



Some writers have objected to the accepted term " whip- 

 ping," contending that casting the fly is different from whip- 

 ping with a long staff and lash. I acknowledge that in the 

 main it is. Still the first motions of the arm and rod are not 

 unlike the motions of the arm and whip-staff of a stage-driver. 

 The latter intends that the end of his lash shall reach a certain 

 part of the horse's body, while the angler intends that his 

 flies shall fall on a certain part of the stream ; but here the 

 similitude ends. The driver, by a sudden backward motion 

 of the arm, causes the lash to strike the horse with force, and 

 rebound ; while the angler avoids the quick backward motion, 

 and allows his flies to fall lightly ; and then, not hastily, but 

 by a gentle movement of his rod, draws his flies towards him 

 or across the water. 



But to commence. — Let the beginner draw out as much 

 line as he can conveniently cast. If he uses a twelve foot 

 rod, eighteen feet (that is, from the tip to the stretcher-fly) is 

 enough. Then with a backward motion of his rod, let his 

 line go well out behind him, and before it has time to fall to 

 the ground, by a forward motion of the forearm and wrist, 

 cast his flies to the desired place on the water. 



The backward motion of the line is chiefly imparted by 

 the spring of the rod, as the flies are lifted from the water, 

 and if it does not go to its full length behind, it will come 

 down clumsily on the water before the angler, when he casts 



