UP- OR DOWX-STREAM FISHING. 159 



of the whole of the casting line coming down immediately 

 over his head will not increase his confidence. Throw 

 beside and above him, and allow him to see as much as he 

 likes of the fly, and as little as possible of the line. In 

 Plate VI. p. 130, the fig. 3 is the right way and fig. 2 

 the wrong. If a fish rises, a slight upward or downward 

 turn of the wrist will be sufficient to fix the hook, and 

 here, as in spinning, the downward strike is preferable ; 

 but beware of striking too hard ; the lightest twitch is not 

 only sufficient, but far the best. As to giving any direct 

 rules when to strike, they would be of little avai), as 

 sometimes fish rise quickly and take quickly, sometimes 

 with more circumspection, and sometimes altogether 

 falsely. Practice alone will teach the angler what to do, 

 and how and when to do it. 



And now a word or two about the much-discussed point 

 as to fishing up-stream or down, though what there is to 

 discuss in it, or how any difference of opinion can exist, 

 I cannot understand. The angler should never fish down- 

 stream if lie can by any possibility fish up. The fish lie 

 with their heads up-stream. They see the flies coming 

 down towards them, and they rise to meet them. The 

 nngler is far behind them, and of course they are not so 

 likely to see him. If a fish takes the fly fairly, then tin; 

 angler will, if he strikes properly, hardly ever miss his 

 fish, because he pulls the fly towards, and as it were into 

 the fish's mouth, whereas in fishing down he will perpetu- 

 ally pull it out of his mouth ; added to this, in fishing 

 down every fish for twenty yards can see him coming, and 

 the best will cease rising and take shelter under some 

 weed. Again, if he hooks a good fish that requires play, 

 he must take it down over unfished ground, disturbing 

 every fish for some distance, or create much disturbance 

 of the water and risk breaking the hold or the tackle. If 

 the wind or the rapidity of the stream prevent the angler 



