66 



The Gentle Art of Angling. 



better for the angler to break the 

 cast than a fish to break it, and 

 gut to be reliable should bear a 

 considerable strain. 



In wet-fly fishing one proceeds 

 down stream, keeping well back 

 from the water. The flies should 

 be cast as close in to the near 

 bank as possible, then further out, 



made more line must necessarily 

 be in the water. The important 

 thing is to drop the flies yard by 

 yard down stream, so that they 

 are noticed by the trout before 

 several feet of line are trailed over 

 him. Sometimes he looks at the 

 leader, smells the middle fly, and 

 wholly appropriates the dropper. 



HOW TO CAST. 



Position of the arm in forward action of the rod. 



and so on to the opposite bank. 

 When the line falls on the water, 

 if there is a current it catches it 

 and carries it down stream. The 

 rod, meanwhile, is gradually 

 raised, so that only the gut lies 

 on the surface. The less line 

 the fish are invited to look at the 

 better. When long casts are 



Two or three casts should be 

 made over likely spots; a trout 

 refuses a fly half a dozen times, 

 and then takes it as if unable to 

 tolerate its intrusiveness any 

 longer. I have watched him 

 going through the process. The 

 appearance of the fly first made 

 him sway about more vigorously ; 



