3S 8 The Trouts of America 



and the hand grasping nearly the extreme end of 

 the butt, the rod is raised so that as much of the 

 line is cleared from the water as possible, then a 

 forward stroke is made sufficiently strong to lift the 

 entire line from the water and to cause the fly to 

 alight a short distance in the rear of the caster; 

 then, placing the rod well back, as in the forward 

 cast of the ordinary method, a strong switch of 

 the rod to the front will cause the line to roll out 

 rapidly ; the leader and flies, as the line goes out, 

 making a leap as it were and alighting upon the 

 water in the manner of the grasshopper cast 

 before described. 



The ambitious tyro, after he has caught the 

 knack of casting and become master of his rod, 

 will learn from stream experience the varied casts 

 known as the left-handed, the side cast, the under 

 cast, the horizontal, etc. The necessity of the use 

 of them depends entirely upon the character of 

 the stream, and it is when fishing one that the 

 angler is brought face to face with their value, 

 and can quickly acquire a knowledge of them. 

 Words would be wasted in an attempt to describe 

 how the casts are made. 



When a trout is fastened on a fly rod, it should 

 be brought to the net as quickly as possible, 



