MAY-FLY FISHING. 365 



that, whatever may be the case with imitations of other Epheme- 

 ridae, with the May-fly it is of the greatest advantage to fish dry 

 or floating. The only stages at which it is possible for the 

 natural May-fly when taken by the fish to be entirely submerged 

 is in the nymph state just before changing to the subimago, and 

 the spent gnat, which when quite dead may possibly, after 

 some lapse of time, become sodden and sink, although on this 

 latter point I am inclined to think that it is far more likely to 

 shrivel up and become disintegrated on the surface of the 

 water. If, however, the angler desires to fish it under water 

 or sunk, he must omit that part of the instructions relating to 

 drying the fly. 



The first cast to learn is the ordinary overhanded one, in 

 which the hand holding the rod is raised so as to carry the rod 

 backwards a short distance beyond the perpendicular, feeling 

 the line all the time, and, after a decided pause, just as the 

 weight of the line commences to bend the rod-top backwards, 

 the hand is brought forward and down again with a slightly 

 increased velocity. The motion of the hand throughout is 

 smooth and without jerk, and should describe a slight curve 

 the object of this curve being to prevent the line when travel- 

 ling backwards from coming in contact with the rod, or the 

 line itself when coming forward. If the fly is dry the cast on 

 the water may be at once completed, but if not, the backward 

 and forward motion must be repeated a sufficient number of 

 times to thoroughly free the hackles and wings of the fly from 

 moisture. At times some difficulty is found in drying a May- 

 fly sufficiently. In this case one of two things has probably 

 happened : either the fly is thoroughly sodden, when it is as 

 well to put up a new one, and leave the other to dry in your 

 hat, after coaxing the wings, &c., into position with your fingers ; 

 or the wings* have got turned down and caught under the bend 

 of the hook, when the fly will neither dry rapidly nor float well. 

 As the hand comes forward the rod-point must be lowered, and 

 the line delivered at a level of about a yard above the water. 

 The hand is then slightly checked, and the fly falls lightly and 



