CASTING THE FLY. 321 



By neatness, we intend the knack of so delivering the line 

 that each one of the cast of flies shall alight upon the surface 

 of the water singly and severally, and as lightly as the thistle- 

 down, without any portion of the foot-length, much less of the 

 line, bagging or falling in a bight upon the stream. 



This delivering of the cast at the end of a perfectly straight, 

 yet perfectly easy line, is the first great thing to be obtained . 

 If we attempt to throw the flies, except after having made them 

 describe a full semicircle in tli^ direction opposite to the pur- 

 posed cast, we shall throw them nowhere. 



If we fling out the whole line loosely, it will fall in a baggy 

 bight upon the water, probably striking the surface in advance 

 of the flies, and certainly making a splash and scaring away the 

 fish which we desire to allure. 



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

 snap off" all our flies with a loud crack, and so remain disarmed 

 and useless for the nonce. 



In practising, the novice should use but a short line, five or 

 six yards at the utmost, and a single fly — and when he can 

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

 ference, he may gradually let out his line till he has reached 

 fifteen yards, which I regard as the extreme length that can be 

 managed with certainty, neatness, and precision, and add to the 

 stretcher his first and second droppers, more than which are 

 wholly useless. 



Having said thus much of the mode of casting the flies, we 

 will suppose our angler clad in the plainest and least obtrusive 

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

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



