578 OCEAN, LAKE, AND RIVER. 



of casting a fly vary according to the character of the water to be 

 fished — whether it be lake, river, or stream, or whether the angler 

 is to wade, or fish fronn a boat, or the bank. There are a fev/ 

 general rules that govern, however ; and the first to be observed 

 is to keep out of sight. To enable the angler to do this a long 

 cast is frequently indispensable. If fish were not shy, the angler 

 might dispense with flies, and walk up boldly to the water and dip 

 them out with his hands. But to cast a long line without bun- 

 gling, requires studious practice. For a proper cast, the line should 

 not only be delivered straight and evenly, without kinks, coils, or 

 bights, but the flies should be laid lightly on the water, as the nat- 

 ural flies settle. Hence the line, and the casting line, must be deli- 

 cate in size and texture, and the flies must be small, so as to make 

 no splash when they fall. It is because such fine tackle is required, 

 that the handling of a heavy fish becomes difficult ; for it is appa- 

 rent that to lift its weight on the line would part it. To relieve 

 the strain a flexible rod is required ; and the rod has its very im- 

 portant part to play throughout in killing the fish. The fish must 

 be killed on the rod, and not on the line. To exact full service 

 from a rod, a perfect arch (longer or shorter,) must be maintained 

 from the moment a fish is hooked until he is landed. The manage- 

 ment of this arch in motion is the science of angling. The rod has 

 of course, its proper functions to perform in making the cast. The 

 essential qualities of a rod are elasticity artd stiffness ; first, a uni- 

 form elasticity that is evenly distributed and maintained through- 

 out its length from but to tip ; and second, that peculiar quality of 

 stiffness which acts with a yielding resistance, preventing the fish 

 from exerting its full strength on the hook, the leader, or the line 

 just as elastic traces would prevent a horse from exerting his full 

 strength in drawing. No rod will throw a line deftly unless it pos- 

 sesses these requisites, and in the selection of a rod its weight, 

 length, and suppleness, must be gauged by the physical properties 

 of the purchaser, because the same rod, like the same gun, will not 

 serve all sportsmen alike. The angler ought to be able to tell 

 when a rod feels well balanced in his hand, just as he does a bil- 

 liard cue, an oar, a gun, or a croquet mallet. Given the rod and 

 line, we need such a reel as will deliver the line freely, yet not so 

 rapidly as to permit it to overrun, and we accordingly secure a 



