1 1 6 Fly Fishing for Trout, 



act of hooking him ; I am yet able to aver that 

 I have scarcely ever been broken owing to the 

 fineness of the line after the fish has been fairly 

 hooked. A fine cast will, in fact, bear a very heavy 

 strain, qua mere strain, and I am under the im- 

 pression that owing to the lightness with which it 

 falls on the water you frighten fewer and raise 

 more fish." This may be so. On the other hand 

 it is difficult, as before said, with a very fine line to 

 pull a big fish over weeds, or to put sufficient strain 

 when in weeds ; and as regards lightness of fall 

 and disturbing the water, how much of the cast 

 should go near the fish } Certainly only the fly ; 

 and the difference of a very fine cast and a fine 

 one, as far as my experience goes, is hardly in 

 favour of the very fine. 



In some of the rivers near London, the Cray 

 and the Wandle, for instance — two of the clearest 

 of streams — you require to fish far and fine at all 

 times except in windy weather ; and fishing up 

 stream is almost an absolute necessity. In these 

 clear streams very fine tackle is the rule and very 

 small flies, but even in the clearest streams too 

 fine tackle will prevent sport. In strong wind, for 

 instance, fine gut will not keep on the water, and 

 the fly will fall everywhere but where you want it. 

 I recollect a day when this occurred. A brother 

 fisherman — a lover of the finest tackle — was fishing 



