332 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK 



flies, but they should be eased off (if I may so express it) as 

 they fall, by the slightest downward bending of the wrist. 



There is a great deal of poetry also, as well as fiction, in 

 the stories told about casting a very long line. Ex])erience 

 will teach you to cast no longer line than is necessary, what- 

 ever proficiency you may acquire. Still it should be borne 

 in mind, that the higher your position above the water, the 

 more visible you are to the fish, hence the greater the 

 necessity for fishing far off when occupying such a stand. 

 But with such elevation, it is easier to cast a long line. 

 When a person is wading the stream, he is less visible to the 

 fish than if he was on the bank, as the medium through 

 which the line of sight passes is more dense than the atmo- 

 sphere above, and the rougher the water the more the line of 

 sight between the angler and the fish is disturbed. 



Nicer casting is, of course, required on a still pool than on 

 a rift; a careful angler, when he wades such water, will 

 always go in softly, without floundering or splashing, fishing 

 it by inches, scarcely making a ripple, and creating so slight 

 a disturbance, that he will find the fish rising within a few 

 yards of him ; then he should cast with not too long a line, 

 and lightly. If he sees a large Trout rising lower down the^ 

 pool, he does not fish carelessly, or hurry on to get to him, 

 but tries to take those that may lie in the intervening water, 

 and approaches him slowly and imperceptibly, knowing that 

 he will be found there when his time comes. I may add 

 here that in such water a landing-net is indispensable, as it 

 would disturb the pool to wade ashore with every good fish, 

 and that here also you have a better opportunity of using 

 your net and securing your fish, than in a rift. 



In casting a long line, or even a short one, particularly on 

 a windy day, it is better to wet it occasionally by holding the 

 leader and flies in your hand, and let it swag in the water ; 



