A DAY'S COACHING 33 



Now look out ! Strike ! You were too late, and too 

 forcible. It only requires a small upward movement 

 of the forearm and hand to hook the fish so long as your 

 line is straight. Just wait a minute, and give him a 

 rest while you listen to me. The strike depends a great 

 deal on a person's temperament. Some men are always 

 slow, and others quick. An immediate strike will become 

 a habit after a time, but there is always the personal 

 equation which dominates the rapidity of the individual 

 action. The health and condition of the mind and body 

 will always affect even the most experienced fisherman, 

 and an alert, nervous temperament and a straight line are 

 the best factors to ensure success. You will gradually 

 become more proficient in striking when you have had 

 further practice. 



If a strike is made when the hand is off the reel and the 

 line is not held in either hand, but runs untouched from the 

 reel to the fly, then the angler is said to have struck from 

 the reel. 



In dry fly fishing the art of striking firmly and gently is 

 of the greatest importance. Very little weight can be lifted 

 by an ordinary trout rod, and the strength of the end point 

 of your gut cast will determine what force may be used 

 when striking. Little as may be the pull, however, which 

 the gut can stand, it sometimes happens that the hold of 

 the hook in the mouth of the trout is considerably less. 

 Consequently, for the man whose hand is heavy, striking 

 from the reel is recommended, always provided that the 

 check of the drum and its inertia is not greater than the 

 force applied. With even a slightly resisting check, 

 the pull will be sufficient to drive the hook home into the 

 softer parts of the mouth of the trout. The disadvantage, 

 however, of striking from the reel is that the line is nearly 

 always lengthened, and at a moment when it should, if 



