THROWING THE FLY. 121 



Theoph. Certainly : yet, with the same 

 length of rod, I doubt if I could match him : 

 assuredly not, with his twenty foot wand! It 

 requires more strength than I, or many men, 

 possess to wield it. This brings me back to your 

 enquiry about the length of line to be thrown. 

 According to the length and strength of spring 

 in a rod, there is a certain distance of line, 

 which comes most natural to it, and an excess or 

 decrease is equally troublesome. If you will 

 refer to my former diagram (fig. 17), you may 

 readily perceive how this is, and, I calculate, 

 that about three times the length of the rod, pro- 

 vided it be stiffish, is the right measure of line to 

 throw easily ; thus, twelve feet of rod give twelve 

 yards of line ; sixteen feet, sixteen yards ; eigh- 

 teen feet, eighteen yards ; twenty feet, twenty 

 yards, and so forth. 



A pliant rod will not throw so far as a moder- 

 ately stiff one (I mean by this, a rod that plays 

 well, yet is stiff about the top) ; and for this 

 reason, that the grass, hedges, weeds, and stones 

 behind, will either catch the fly, or ruin the 

 thrower in breakage of hooks. Turn again 

 to the diagram (fig. 17). If the rod be pliant, 

 though the spring be given when the rod is as 

 A B, yet, owing to its elasticity, it will not raise 

 the fly from the water, until it (the rod) is much 

 curved (though the tip may remain at B), and 



