FLIES AND FLY FISHING. 31 



properly if you can ; this is especially applicable to 

 difficult thickly wooded places. A strong wind at your 

 back enables you with the single-handed rod to cast a 

 line of almost any length. This is not the case with the 

 double-handed rod and line, as the wind, in this case, 

 hinders the backward sweep of the line, and in double- 

 handed casting the line requires to reach the same distance 

 behind as it is intended to be propelled in front of you. 



"With a backward motion of the hand and wrist cause 

 the line to fly out behind the rod, and then the return 

 should be made with a jerky motion of the wrist, some- 

 thing like the flick of a whip, only without any crack ; at 

 the moment of the line's being propelled forward the top 

 of the rod should be almost in a perpendicular line from 

 the hand, not slanting over the water. The stretcher fly 

 should alight first on the water and then by slightly 

 lowering the hand, the droppers. If these directions are 

 followed, the line may be thrown in any way, over the 

 right or left shoulders, or from either side, sitting or lying 

 down flat on the bank, which last position is often very 

 useful to prevent the fish seeing you when not wading. 

 On windy days cast with the rod close to the water and 

 as it were under the wind ; in this case the return must 

 be made quicker than usual. One of the principal things 



