Casting and Working the Fly 97 



line should be allowed to be carried well down the stream straight 

 and tight to its fullest extent, the point of the rod following the 

 direction of the fly and held very low. Before making the cast 

 the whole line should be lifted clear of the water ; if allowed to 

 drag under the surface the cast cannot be made. The Spey 

 fishermen who, I think, are the finest underhand casters in the 

 world, use rods made especially for the purpose. The upper 

 portion, instead of being straight is made in a curve, and, when 

 fishing the curve faces the stream, which gives the rod made in 

 this fashion a greater lifting power than an ordinary one, but I 

 have found I could make as good a cast with the latter." 



The proper working of the fly as it goes down 

 and across stream on its journey, for the purpose 

 of producing in it a lifelike movement calculated to 

 impress upon the salmon in the neighborhood the 

 fatal belief that it is no sham, is a vexed question. 

 The popular conviction is that by moving the 

 point of the rod up and down constantly when 

 the fly is in the water, its charms are enhanced. 

 This looks very attractive when it can be seen, on 

 a short cast, but it is certain that on a medium or 

 long cast the up and down motion of the rod is 

 not communicated to the fly at all, and on the 

 short casts the action keeps the fly nearer the sur- 

 face of the water than is desirable in most rivers, 

 as the rule is to hold the point of the rod low that 

 the fly may sink as deep as possible. I am obliged 



