go DRY-FLY FISHING 



select for the occasion of his first ventures the 

 conditions already suggested. 



Before he sets out he should prepare a cast 

 according to the following plan, knotting the 

 lengths of gut together by means of the valuable 

 knot illustrated on page 48. Let us suppose that 

 each strand of gut is sixteen inches long. Eight 

 of these will be required, four of 4x, two of 3x, 

 and one each of 2x and ix ; they should be care- 

 fully selected from the hank, round, smooth and 

 without flaw, and put into slightly warmed water 

 for at least an hour to soften. In making up the 

 cast, the end of strand 4, where it is joined to 

 strand 3, should be pulled out to about three inches, 

 and then the knot drawn tight. This is the most 

 convenient and satisfactory method of attaching 

 a dropper-fly ; not only is the fly easily, quickly, 

 neatly, and securely fastened, but it stands out 

 beautifully at right angles to the cast. The wet- 

 fly fisher on loch and stream would do well to 

 adopt this method. 



It will be apparent that we are recommending 

 the beginner to fish two dry-flies on the cast, and 

 this advice will be considered so very extraordin- 

 ary in certain quarters that it is necessary to give 

 reasons for daring to oppose recognised authority. 



The reasons are as follows : 



i. As already explained in Chapter III, it requires 

 a great effort on the part of the wet-fly fisher to 

 reduce his three or four or more flies to a single 

 unit at one fell swoop. Many Clyde and Tweed 

 anglers still use a cast carrying as many as ten 

 flies ; it will be difficult to convert them to the 

 dry-fly. 



