20 THE BRITISH ANGLER'S LEXICON. 



been attached his reel line and cast of flies, he " approaches 

 the water " to take his maiden cast, and accompanied by a 

 good natured friend an adept in the gentle art he makes 

 his first essay in what most probably will be the leading 

 hobby of his future life. He grasps the handle of the well- 

 balanced rod above the reel, with the thumb resting upwards 

 on the rod, and the line drawn off for two or three 

 yards ; he takes the tail fly between the finger and thumb of 

 the left hand, and swings the rod round and back, letting 

 the line go at the same time until it has reached its utmost 

 length behind the back, when the rod should be brought 

 forward in a circular manner, so as to alight the flies on the 

 spot upon which the eye is fixed. Just as the line is about 

 touching the water, check the downward sweep of the rod, and 

 raise it slightly, which serves to pitch the cast of flies 

 straight and lightly on the surface. It takes some care- 

 ful and observant practice to carry out these instructions 

 properly some anglers cannot do it in a life-time, others 

 can do it in a day. It soon becomes apparent to the tyro 

 what he has to do, and he must find out for himself the best 

 way to succeed in his object which is to alight on the 

 water the artificial flies in the most natural manner, so as to 

 deceive the fish into the belief that these flies are natural 

 ones, coming down as usual to furnish him with a dainty 

 morsel. It is essential in the backward cast that the line 

 should go out to its full length before the return stroke is 

 made, else there is the danger of whipping the flies or a fly 

 off the casting line. A notice of this is given by a sound 

 like the crack of a whip ; this sound always makes an 

 angler wince, as he judges he is minus a fly when he hears 

 it the line should make rather a whistling sound. A 

 fly fisher will find it of service to fix his eye a yard 



