26 FLIES AND FLY FISHING. 



play him with, the weight resting on the rod itself, and 

 not on the rings, this keeps it also longer straight and 

 unwharped ; the reel will thus be to your right hand to 

 wind up. The end of the line ought to be knotted, and 

 passed through and round the loop of the casting line. 

 The cast and flies should be very well soaked and 

 stretched, so as to be perfectly straight, and without any 

 wrinkles, and also wet enough to sink easily ; the very 

 greatest attention should be paid to this. The method I 

 always employ is to put a small lead plummet (such as 

 is commonly used for bottom fishing) on to the stretcher 

 fly hook, and throwing it into the water keep the cast 

 sunk and at its full stretch for about ten minutes. It is 

 a good plan to have a thick india-rubber ring round the 

 butt of the rod in which to insert the leading fly, when 

 walking from place to place, this prevents your flies 

 catching in anything, or a piece of cork may be whipped 

 to the butt for the same purpose. 



In choosing the flies to put on your cast, with which 

 to commence fishing, and selecting of course only from 

 the flies in season, your guides must be 

 1st The condition of the water. 

 2nd The temperature and the weather. 



If the day will suit, always use the fly that has last 



