76 



The Gentle Art of Angling. 



them. It is advisable to go pre- 

 pared with a variety of artificials 

 and try them in turn. It really 

 seems as if trout had abandoned 

 E. danica as impossible, and laid 

 themselves out for game that was 

 attainable. I have tried a May- 

 fly several times over a rising fish, 

 and he declined it ; on substituting 

 an alder, he took it the first cast. 

 On the Irish and other loughs 

 dapping with the green drake is 

 a favourite method of angling. 

 Some very large fish are taken 

 in this way. The natural ephe- 

 meridae are collected in wicker 

 baskets, and one or two are im- 

 paled on round bend-hooks to 

 form the dap. Long rods, 14 ft. 

 to 15 ft., are used, and stout cast- 

 ing lines. The extra length of 

 rod enables the angler to get the 

 dap well in front of the drifting 

 boat. A gossamer silk line is 

 used, sufficiently light to be carried 

 forward by the breeze. A fine 

 undressed backing line is, in my 

 judgment, the most suitable for 

 the purpose. The rod is raised 

 high enough to allow the dap to 

 touch the surface, taking care 

 that only a few inches of gut 

 show in the water. There is 

 little art required to float the dap, 

 one who has never used a rod can 

 acquire the knack without diffi- 

 culty. It is simply a question of 

 raising or lowering the weapon so 

 as to keep the flies afloat. There 

 is an art, however, in striking the 

 fish, not so easily attained. The 

 important matter is not to strike 

 when the fish breaks the water, 

 but when the dap disappears be- 

 low the surface ; that is the psy- 

 chological moment, and to wait 

 so long, only a matter of a second, 

 imposes a self-denying ordinance 

 difficult to endure. To catch fish 

 one must submit to it, otherwise 

 dap after dap will be stripped off 

 without hooking a tail. It is 

 pretty certain that fish make two 



bites at the flies offered to them, 

 one secures the wings and other 

 external appendages, the next 

 includes the hook. During the 

 months of August and September, 

 the daddy-longlegs is mounted in 

 a similar fashion to that of the 

 green drake, and the same rule 

 about deliberate striking applies. 

 Fish taken either way play ex- 

 ceedingly hard, often drawing a 

 score or more yards of line in a 

 single run, and giving first-class 

 sport. Trout 8 Ib. to 10 Ib. weight 

 are frequently caught during the 

 May - fly and daddy - longlegs 

 season. 



THE UNDERHAND CAST. 



To become accomplished in the 

 art of dry-fly angling one must 

 learn to cast the fly in awkward 

 places. In a ribbon of clear 

 stream flowing between weeds a 

 trout may be lying ready to rise 

 to the fly. Underneath the boughs 

 of trees the best specimens are 

 frequently found. To negotiate 

 such places one must learn the 

 underhand cast. It is generally 

 made in a kneeling position, the 

 rod held nearly parallel with the 

 stream in preparation for the 

 throw (vide illustration). The 

 important matter is to cast under 

 the boughs without getting hung 

 up, a double misfortune when it 

 happens, scaring the fish in the 

 attempt to get free, and usually 

 leaving the fly and part of the gut 

 behind. The line should be drawn 

 from the reel a few feet at a time, 

 and the rod kept well down in 

 making the cast. A short length 

 can be switched backwards and 

 forwards without allowing the fly 

 to touch the water, an advantage 

 in the case of a dry fly. With a 

 longer line the difficulties begin, 

 as the weight causes the fly to 

 drop behind. To obviate this, 

 shooting the line must be prac- 

 tised that is, a few yards must 



