HOW TO STRIKE TROUT 211 



in the left hand lightly held, so as not to check 

 the fly when such danger seems imminent, a 

 quick pull at the line will at once shorten it, and 

 avert the catastrophe. 



It may be argued that this plan of using the 

 slack line must interfere with striking a fish. I 

 can only assure the reader that such is not the 

 case, for the right hand closes instinctively on the 

 line in the act of turning the wrist to make what 

 is called, or rather miscalled, striking. 



There has been an infinite amount of twaddle 

 and nonsense talked and written about striking 

 trout, striking from the reel, etc. If a man is 

 so coarse-fisted, or so afflicted with nerves, that 

 he cannot learn to strike without fear of smashing 

 his tackle with a large fish, or of hoisting a small 

 one up into the Milky Way, he had better abjure 

 fishing altogether. It is the word strike which 

 does all the mischief, and causes beginners to give 

 a vigorous upward snatch of the rod, when all the 

 time they should be doing exactly the reverse. 

 When the right hand is holding the rod, the fly 

 being on the water, the back of the hand is 

 towards the right front. When the motion of 

 striking is properly performed, the back of the 

 hand is turned sharply downwards. That is all ; 

 it is effected by the movement of the wrist alone. 

 This motion, so far from causing the top of the 

 rod to be thrown up, on the contrary moves it 



