Casting the Fly. 333 



by dropping a pebble on the paper, standing close to it 

 for this purpose. The instant the pebble falls, the strike 

 should follow. Strike lightly if you can, but at all events 

 strike quickly. Many of the angling books direct that 

 the strike be made from the reel ; that is, with the line 

 perfectly free to render except for such resistance as the 

 click of the reel may impose. Thus if, in his anxiety to 

 strike quickly, the angler strikes too hard, the surplus 

 force, in theory at least, is expended in drawing line 

 from the reel, instead of being transmitted to the 

 leader or flies to the peril of their hold upon the fish. 

 This theory, like many others, is not independent of 

 circumstances. When a very fine leader is in use, to- 

 gether with flies so small that the least effort will bury 

 them over the barb, this is without doubt the proper 

 practice. But it is obvious that where the hooks are 

 larger, the water free from current, and a long line is 

 in use, there is more work to be done in striking than 

 with small flies and on quick water where the current 

 buoys up the line. The object is to transmit the strike 

 to the taken fly with the least possible delay. There- 

 fore a degree of force which would be more than ample 

 in the one case may be quite inadequate in the other. 



For small fish or small flies a mere turn of the wrist is 

 the proper and artistic thing, but for large ones this 

 method is a delusion. Then you must "sock it to them," 

 with the line firmly held under the first finger of the 

 casting hand, as shown in Fig. 85. Indeed, after the 

 beginner has gained some command of his nerves, so 

 that while striking quickly he can graduate his energy 

 to the size of his flies, the length of line he has on the 

 water, and the magnitude of the fish, I am not sure that 

 this is not the best method at all times. It will be ncr 



