Fishing with the Fly 



and the fore-finger of the left hand grasp the line above the reel, 

 stripping a couple of feet of it. Raise the rod with a gradual 

 quickening motion until the tip of the rod passes backward over 

 the right shoulder and back of one's head. This will raise the 

 flies from the water and, as they rise, the resistance of the water 

 will take up the slack of the line which has just been stripped 

 from the reel. Rising from the surface of the stream, line, leader 

 and flies will swing over and behind you in a manner similar 

 to a coach driver's whip-lash. Continue the motion of the rod in 

 an elliptical course which will bring the tip forward and 

 to the left until the tip lies again before you at an angle of 

 about 25 degrees. Then let it cease its motion. By this time 

 if the cast is properly made, the line is out straight ahead of 

 you and the flies have dropped on the surface of the water at 

 a point 2 feet ahead of the spot where they lay before making 

 the cast. 



The trick in making this style of cast is to have the line 

 straight out behind you at the same instant that the rod is at its 

 furthest backward position; for if the forward motion is made 

 before the line is straightened out, it will snap like a coachman's 

 whip and good-by leaders and flies. In practising have a com- 

 panion watch you and shout "forward" at the very instant when 

 the line is at the correct position for the forward cast. A little 

 practice with a watcher to warn will enable you to know in- 

 tuitively what is the correct time to commence the forward motion 

 of the rod. 



Keep the right elbow -close to the body. Let all motion be 

 in the forearm and wrist until flies almost touch the water. Use 

 as much as possible the elasticity of the rod to shoot flies and 

 line forward. Keep the rod tip at an angle of -25 degrees until 

 the flies almost touch the water. Then lower it gently just suf- 

 ficient to allow the flies reaching the surface without splash. If 

 the cast is not long enough, strip a couple more feet of line 

 from the reel and proceed as before until the cast is long enough 

 to suit you or you have as much line out as you can manage. 



The position of the rod and the actual path of the flies 

 through the air, from the time of leaving the water until touch- 

 ing it again, will be readily understood by referring to Figure 2. 

 No. i is the first position of the rod with the fly resting on the 

 water, No. 2 shows the rod at the end of the backward motion, 



xlv 



