CASTING THE FLY. 319 



is necessary, practice, experience, and a love of the art, go so 

 far that no one who really desires to attain eminence in this 

 skill need despair, for perhaps no one very keenly desires it who 

 has not that aptitude, though perhaps latent, and even of him- 

 self unsuspected. 



To teach a man, as I have said before, by writing or even by 

 oral instruction, unless coupled with active practice and example, 

 how to make a fly, how to cast a fly, how to hook a fish, or how, 

 when hooked, to kill him, is fc) my apprehension impossible. 

 Yet without some instructions on this subject, a work on 

 Fishing would justly be deemed imperfect, and perhaps even 

 impertinent. 



After the first slight skill is attained which enables a fisher- 

 man to cast a fly at all without whipping it off" the hook-length, 

 the great points to be acquired are, precision in casting, and 

 neatness in delivering the fly. 



In Salmon fishing with the double-handed rod, all these 

 things are somewhat more difficult than with the light twelve- 

 foot Trout-rod, and more practice is requisite before perfection 

 can be gained ; yet the mode is identical, and the instructions 

 which alone can be given are alike few and simple. 



The first thing to be observed is, that the rod must not be 

 firmly grasped, but held with a loose and delicate pla}^ of the 

 thumb and fingers, as a cue should in billiard playing, or a foil 

 in fencing. Secondly, that in throwing out the fly, nothing like 

 a jerk or snap should be performed, such as is done with a four- 

 horse whip in flanking a leader. It is very difficult to explain, 

 except by comparison, what this movement is; but it may 

 perhaps be described as by a sudden checking of the propelling 



