32 TROUT-FISHING FOR THE BEGINNER 



parallel line, i.e. one which is all of the same 

 thickness, best for his purpose. Here again 

 it is advisable to purchase the best one can 

 afford, for a really well-made line will last 

 for many seasons. After use, if wet, it should 

 be hung in loose coils in a warm room to dry, 

 for a wet line left on a reel is liable to rot, 

 even if made of the best material. 



4. The cast and gut. 

 Attached to the line is the cast, to which 

 the fly or flies are fastened. The cast was in 

 former days composed of horse-hair, but gut 

 has now taken its place. Gut casts vary in 

 length, 3 yards being the usual measurement. 

 With a 9-foot rod, I personally prefer a cast 

 of from 7 feet 6 inches to 8 feet, so that the 

 gut is never likely to be drawn through the 

 tip-ring of the rod when reeling in a fish 

 Casts may be had parallel or tapered ; the 

 beginner will find the latter best suited to 

 his requirements. The thinner the cast, the 

 better ; but due consideration must, of 

 course, be given to the average size of the fish 

 likely to be caught. The beginner, however, 

 will be well advised to fish with a cast of 

 medium thickness, until he has acquired 

 sufficient delicacy of control in the handling 

 of his rod. A cast tapering from, say, stout 



