50 FLY FISHING AND SPINNING 



One of the characteristic signs of fish ceasing to rise or 

 coming on the rise under normal conditions, is that one or 

 two will throw themselves out of the water. I have never 

 solved the question as to why they do this, but when the 

 fish have not been rising and I suddenly see a medium sized 

 fish throw itself out of the water, I expect, and nearly always 

 find, that a rise is about to commence. On the contrary, 

 if, during a good rise, one or two fish are seen to throw 

 themselves out of the water, it is nearly certain that the 

 rise will soon cease. 



MANIPULATING AND SHOOTING THE LINE 



As you have already experienced difficulty in managing 

 your slack line, and in manipulating your rod and line after 

 the fish is hooked, I will utilize our luncheon hour by giving 

 you a few hints on this subject. 



There are at least three sound and convenient methods of 

 gathering in the slack line as it comes back towards the 

 fisherman when fishing out a dry fly cast up-stream. 



When the fly is only allowed to travel some eight or nine 

 feet down-stream after it has alighted on the water, the rod 

 should not be raised, but as the current brings the line back, 

 and as the line is beginning to hang almost vertically from 

 the rod point to the water, the left hand thumb or fore- 

 finger should gather in this slack line by an outward move- 

 ment from the rod, the line being allowed to slip smoothly 

 round the thumb or forefinger until the left arm is extended 

 outward from the side. Should the back cast then require 

 to be made the line should be nipped between the finger and 

 thumb and held firmly, and the back and forward cast 

 should then be made, but as the rod straightens at the end 

 of the forward and downward action, the finger and thumb 

 must release the line, which will then, if the cast be perfectly 

 made, be pulled out through the rings by the forward 



