IO4 Artificial- Fly Fishing. 



The frequency, then, with which the angler should 

 cast, will depend so far on the humour of the fish, 

 but not on this altogether. It will be regulated, 

 also, in great measure by the rapidity of the stream ; 

 a gentle current evidently requiring less frequent 

 casting than a rapid one, and a pool more frequent 

 casting than either. It is in this respect, as well 

 as in the greater skill demanded in handling the 

 rod, that the pool presents more difficulty to the 

 young angler than the stream. For it is only by 

 frequent and dexterous casting that he can at once 

 conceal the artificial character of the flies, and pre- 

 vent them from sinking too much to be attractive. 



But a third consideration remains. If the angler 

 is fishing up-stream, he must not allow his line to 

 float so far down at each cast as when he is fishing 

 down-stream, otherwise he would not be able to 

 command the next throw. He must therefore, when 

 fishing up, be content to cover less water at each 

 venture than when fishing down that is, he must 

 cast more frequently. 



Should a fish take the fly at the moment of its 

 alighting, the angler, even if he do not perceive the 

 rise, will receive indications of it in a slight tight- 

 ening of the line. He must then strike instantly, 

 but not too hard. For the fish, lying with its head 

 up-stream, is in the most favourable position for 

 hooking himself when the angler is below him ; and 



