66 FLOATING FLIES 



be fished in this way. Parenthetically, the 

 present writer has always recognized a dis- 

 tinction between fishing downstream and cast- 

 ing downstream; the progress of the angler 

 may be with the direction of the current al- 

 ways most advantageous upon the swift and 

 rocky mountain trout stream while the actual 

 casting may be cross-current, a very effective 

 way of fishing the wet fly under normal condi- 

 tions, or upstream and slightly across if desira- 

 ble. When upon the water the natural insect 

 floats downstream as the current directs it; 

 wherefore, as invariably as may be, the dry 

 fly caster should cast upstream, allowing the 

 fly to float down toward him without restraint 

 from the line, following the natural trend of 

 the current. 



Leaving aside for later discussion the mat- 

 ter of drag, a state of affairs wherein the arti- 

 ficial fly tends to travel at an unnatural rate 

 due to conflicting currents in the stream which 

 affect line and fly differently, and also passing 

 over for the moment certain other points more 

 or less intimately connected with the advisa- 

 bility of upstream casting, there remains for 

 present consideration the matter of false cast- 

 ing, or drying the fly. 



As a rule, when casting a fair amount of 



