A DAY'S DRY FLY FISHING 19 



being all right, we must render the fly as buoyant as possible, 

 and this we do by applying some odourless paraffin-oil. 



The most convenient form and the cleanest and best 

 method of carrying the oil necessary for this purpose is in 

 a small box such as that which I have in my hand (see 

 final chapter). The box shuts tightly and opens with a 

 spring. Inside is a small pad of woollen felt, which should 

 be saturated with odourless paraffin before leaving home. 

 The fly, after being dried by switching the rod backward 

 and forward, is pressed down by the finger and thumb on 

 to this saturated pad, taking care not to injure the wings, 

 and some of the oil held in the pad is thereupon transferred 

 to the fly. In order to get rid of any superfluous oil, it is 

 advisable to press the fly on the pad in the lid of the box. 



I certainly advise you to apply some grease to the line 

 and cast. I am by no means forgetting the prevalent idea 

 that a floating cast may put the trout down, or that the 

 life of a cast is injured by the use of fat. I do not think that 

 a good and carefully prepared gut cast will suffer from the 

 application of any pure fatty substance. In very clear water 

 on a fine day, a floating cast will produce more shadow than 

 the same cast when submerged, and on a well-fished and 

 shallow chalk stream, the more defined the shadow cast by 

 the line, the more likely is it to scare the trout ; but I have 

 in other ways noticed the very great advantage which a 

 floating cast possesses, and to secure this advantage I take 

 care that my cast is sufficiently greased to float on the 

 surface.* 



In any case, I should advise the reader to use pure 

 animal fats, and to avoid chemical mixtures, however 

 much they may be advertised ; for although greasy to the 

 touch, they have frequently a pernicious effect on the 



* By a floating cast I mean one which will lie straight and evenly, and 

 only partially submerged, on the surface of the water. 



