TROUT FISHING. 169 



If, after sending it back, you make the counter spring a 

 moment too soon you will whip off your tail fly, and if 

 a moment too late your line will fall in a slovenly man- 

 ner. The knack of catching this time is, therefore, the 

 whole art of throwing well. The motion should be just 

 sufficiently circular to avoid this ; but if too circular, 

 the spring receives too much check, and the gut will 

 then most probably not drop before the silk line. In a 

 word, allow the line no more than just time to unfold, 

 before you repeat the spring of the wrist. This must 

 be done, or you will hear a crack, and find that you 

 have whipped offyour tail fly. For this reason, I should 

 recommend beginners to learn, at first, with only a 

 bob ; or they will soon empty their own, or their friend's 

 fishing book ; and, at all events, to begin learning with 

 a moderate length of line. 



I have observed, that those young men who have 

 supple wrists, and the power to whip off flies, ultimately 

 make better anglers than those who do not, because, in 

 this action, like most things, there is really but one step 

 between the sublime arid the ridiculous : and the poor 

 fellow, who makes no attempt with energy, will most 

 probably in this, as in other pursuits, remain all his life 

 in the back-ground. Walton, in speaking of throwing 

 a fly, says we should fish " fine and far off:" but we 

 must except very windy weather, or the result of a very 

 long line may, with a very good angler, be crack and 

 whip off. If therefore you have got into a particular 

 current of wind, where this is the case, wind up your 

 line a few turns, or you may soon lose another fly. 

 Sometimes the wind blows very strong, directly across 

 you, from the right, insomuch that it becomes an exertion 

 to raise the rod enough to prevent the line from being 



