FLY-FISHING. 479 



ing against the wind. In this way a person may become an adept at 

 throwing a fly much sooner than by trusting to the experience he 

 may get at the water side ; for, his attention being then wholly 

 engrossed by the hopes of getting a rise, &c., a bad habit may very 

 easily be engendered, which will not be as easily got rid of. He 

 should endeavor to impart to the line a good uniform sweep or curve 

 round the head ; for if it returns too quickly or sharply from behind 

 him, a crack will be heard, and the fly whipped off. There is some 

 little difficulty in acquiring this management." 



So far, Mr. Ronald ; and now we will, perfectly coinciding in every 

 particular, add a little to his instructions. In delivering or throwing the 

 fly, the back of the hand must be upward, quite square. In drawing 

 the fly toward you, the wrist must be gradually turned till the back 

 is downward and the thumb pointing upward. This enables you to 

 strike a fish by the simple motion of clenching your fingers, added to 

 an almost imperceptible inward motion of the wrist down very quickly, 

 yet gently. In drawing out the line for a new cast, you raise your 

 arm, not your shoulder, pointing your thumb outward. 'Tis seldom 

 necessary to raise your elbow much, unless in casting a very long line 

 indeed, when your arm is bent as much as it can be. Rest a moment, 

 to give your line time to straighten behind you. This prevents the 

 crack ; delivering your line forward by turning the back of the hand 

 upward and straightening out your arm. This imparts to your rod a 

 sweep pretty much oval, and if you commence and continue this prac- 

 tice from the first, you will soon get used to it. At first it fatigues 

 the wrist a good deal, and you feel cramped, and as if set in a strait 

 jacket; but this wears off, use gives freedom and neatness to your 

 style of throwing. Nothing betrays a fisherman sooner than the way 

 he holds and handles his rod. Learn this lesson and the next well 

 and thoroughly, and you are advanced a long way toward being a fish- 

 erman, although you may never have had a rise. 



The other lesson you have to practise is to stay your line just be- 

 fore it touches the water, to prevent an awful splash. This is easy 

 enough to do ; when you see your line within a foot of the water, you 

 can either partly turn your hand so as to bring the thumb upward 

 with a slight turn of the wrist, or you can move your wrist, keeping 

 the back of the hand still upward. In either case, the motion must be 

 very slight, so as only to check the downward force without stopping 



