CHAP. v. THE SECOND DAY. 207 



them of four; and so of five, and six, and seven, to the very top : 

 by which means your rod and tackle will, in a manner, be taper 

 from your very hand to your hook ; your line will fall much 

 better and straighter, and cast your fly to any certain place, to 

 which the hand and eye shall direct it, with less weight and 

 violence, than would otherwise circle the water, and fright away 

 the fish. 



In casting your line, do it always before you, and so that your 

 fly may first fall upon the water, and as little of your line with it 

 as is possible; though if the wind be stiff, you will then of 

 necessity be compelled to drown a good part of your line to keep 

 your fly in the water : and in casting your fly, you must aim at 

 the further or nearer bank as the wind serves your turn, which 

 also will be with and against you, on the same side, severr, 1 

 times in an hour, as the river winds in its course, and you will be 

 forced to angle up and down by turns accordingly, but en- 

 deavour, as much as you can, to have the wind, evermore, on 

 your back. And always be sure to stand as far off the bank as 

 your length will give you leave when you throw to the contrary 

 side : though when the wind will not permit you so to do, and 

 that you are constrained to angle on the same side whereon you 

 stand, you must then stand on the very brink of the river, and 

 cast your fly to the utmost length of your rod and line, up or 

 down the river, as the gale serves. 



It only remains, touching your line, to inquire whether your 

 two hairs next to the hook are better twisted or open ? And for 

 that I should declare that I think the open way the better, 

 because it makes less show in the water, but that I have found 

 an inconvenience, or two, or three, that have made me almos: 

 weary of that way; of which, one is, that, without dispute, they 

 are not so strong open as twisted; another, that they are not 

 easily to be fastened of so exact an equal length in the arming 

 that the one will not cause the other to bag, by which means a 

 man has but one hair upon the matter to trust to ; and the last 

 is that these loose flying hairs are not only more apt to catch 

 upon every twig or bent they meet with, but, moreover, the hook, 

 in falling upon the water, will, very often, rebound and fly back 



