294 FLY FISHING AND SPINNING 



SALMON FISHING : A SAGGING LINE 



When fishing from the bank it requires careful study 

 and a good deal of skill on the part of the fisherman to 

 prevent the sagging of the line due to the varying currents 

 in the river across which it is cast. If the line has fallen 

 straight in the desired direction, and there should be a 

 tendency of the line to sag down-stream after the for ard 

 cast, the fish, when in a certain position, may possibly 

 detect the casting line before he sees the lure. Again, if the 

 fly be seized by the fish while a sag is in the line, the fly will 

 possibly be ejected from the mouth of the fish without the 

 fisherman being conscious of the fact. The line, if sagging, 

 has not the power of a straight drag on the hook into the 

 jaws, tongue, etc., of the fish. A short up-stream motion 

 of the point of the rod, before the fly falls on the water, 

 will cause an attendant up-stream curve of the line, and 

 if the rod is kept pointing well above the direction of the 

 fly until it has swept down into the full force of the 

 current, much will have been done to avoid the objectionable 

 sag and its consequences. 



When the river is fast on one side alone, and if it 

 be covered with one cast, it is well to fish from that side of the 

 river which possesses the most moderate current, the fly 

 being cast across the slacker water to the side on which the 

 more rapid stream exists. 



When a river is fast in the centre and slow towards 

 the sides, the more directly the line is thrown across the 

 current and into the slacker water on the other side, the 

 greater the sag. Wading permits the fisherman in most 

 cases to choose his own position for casting ; he can, in 

 consequence, generally avoid the danger of his line sagging, 

 or having to make his casts from a position which might 

 endanger the safety of his gear. 



