88 FLOATING FLIES 



fly downstream. That the tendency toward 

 establishing a satisfactory connection is greater 

 in the first instance should be obvious. The 

 angler has only to learn to disregard the slack 

 loop in his line which, of course, must never 

 be allowed to get absolutely beyond control 

 and to strike with certainly no more force than 

 he has been accustomed to use in wet fly 

 fishing. 



To recapitulate, before going on to discuss 

 in a more general way the matter of fishing 

 the floating fly, it would seem that the chief 

 points for the dry fly-caster to observe are 

 somewhat as follows : To use a single floating 

 fly generally selected as to size and color with 

 regard to the natural ephemeridae common on 

 the stream at the time ; to cast the fly upstream, 

 allowing it to come down after the manner of 

 the natural insect, favoring the horizontal cast 

 to insure, as far as may be, cocking the fly; to 

 avoid immediately raising the point of the rod 

 or stripping in line at the finish of the forward 

 cast, but to hold the rod motionless until the 

 fly is well started on its downstream course; 

 finally, to avoid drag by casting a slack line. 



In general, dry fly-fishing as done in America 

 naturally divides into fishing the water and 

 fishing the rise. The dry fly caster when fish- 



