90 ART OF ANGLING. 



for sending it back, and therefore require an ex- 

 tra sweep in the air, before you can get it into 

 play again. If, after sending it back, you make 

 the counterspring a moment too soon you will 

 whip of your tail fly, and if a moment too late 

 your line will fall in a slovenly manner. The 

 knack of catching this time is, therefore, the 

 whole art of throwing well. The motion should 

 be just sufficiently circular to avoid this ; but if 

 too circular, the spring receives too much check, 

 and the gut will then most probably not drop 

 before the line. In a word, allow the line no 

 more than just time to unfold, before you re- 

 peat the spring of the wrist. This must be done, 

 or you will hear a crack, andymd that you have 

 whipped off your tail fly. For this reason, I 

 should recommend beginners to learn, at first, 

 with only a bob ; or they will soon empty their 

 own, or their friend's fishing book. And, at all 

 events, to begin learning with a moderate length 

 of line. 



I have observed, that those young men who 

 have supple wrists, and the power to whip off 

 flies, ultimately make better anglers than those 

 who do not, because, in this action, like most 

 things, there is really but one step between the 

 sublime and the ridiculous : and the poor fel- 

 low who makes no attempt with energy, will 

 most probably, in this, as in other pursuits, re- 

 main all his life in the back -ground. 



