TROUT FLY-FISHING IN AMERICA 



"strike from the reel," and do not advise any one to adopt 

 this method, because less control is had over the line, like- 

 wise the fish, and therefore much of the pleasure, as well 

 as the skill, of angling is lost on that account. 



On the other hand, Mr. F. M. Halford, in his new 

 book, entitled "The Dry-Fly Man's Handbook," has this 

 to say upon the subject : 



"The strike must be made with sufficient force and no more. 

 If insufficient, the hook will not penetrate far enough to hold the 

 fish in its subsequent struggles, and if the force is excessive the 

 gut will break at its weakest point, and leave the fly and possibly 

 one or more strands of gut in the trout's jaws. The angler should 

 acquire the habit of striking from the reel, i. e., without holding 

 the line in the hand. Many old fishermen prefer holding the line 

 when striking, but it is at best a risky proceeding, and too likely 

 to result in a breakage of the gut." 



It is to be regretted that Mr. Halford has not gone 

 more fully into this subject and given us more of his rea- 

 sons for striking trout from the reel. 



To "strike from the reel" may be the better method to 

 adopt when dry-fly fishing on English streams for the 

 Brown Trout (Salmo-fario), and unquestionably there is 

 less likelihood of breaking a fine-gut leader if the rod is in 

 the hands of an inexperienced angler, but does it not re- 

 quire greater skill for the angler to strike and land his 

 fish from a "hand-held line"? 



In this country the best fly-fishing anglers almost uni- 

 versally have given up the "strike from the reel," and it is 

 because, first, actual control of the line is lost for a certain 



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