294 TROUT FISHING 



of these flies for instance is often level. If tapered 

 it follows the convention of a dry-fly cast and tapers 

 very gradually. Both these fashions are, I am sure, 

 a mistake. A level three-yard cast of, say, 3x gut 

 is liable to bad tangles which involve the whole of 

 it, and the top part near the reel-line is apt to get 

 frayed and worn. Also it does not make for such 

 accurate delivery as does a tapered cast. 



On the other hand the tapered cast, whose descent 

 from thick to fine is very gradual, offends against 

 reason for wet-fly work. When three flies are used 

 not less than two feet six inches apart the top 

 dropper will be found depending from gut which is 

 considerably thicker than that to which the end 

 fly is attached. This handicaps the said dropper 

 unreasonably in its presentation to a fish which has 

 an eye for suspicious circumstances, and is quite 

 unnecessary. As I see it a wet-fly collar should 

 cease its taper at a point at least a foot above the 

 top dropper. I find it an advantage to have the collar 

 rather longer than the usual three yards, especially 

 if three flies are to be used, and so to get about four 

 or five feet of taper to about six feet of level. 



Another small point the flies should not be dressed 

 on gut finer than that forming the untapered part 

 of the cast. If they are there is, I think, more risk 

 of breakages, especially with the droppers. Indeed, 

 when using eyed flies as droppers I always attach 



