272 THE COMPLETE ANGLES. 



under part of your fore-arm as the line is approaching the water ; and 

 this contact will prevent the point of your rod following the line so low 

 as to cause a great part of the latter to roll on to the water/* 



Having practised with winch-line only, and being able to throw well 

 ten yards of it, put on your casting-line with a single fly, and see if you 

 cannot raise and hook a fish. There is a cast the back -handed one 

 which you must learn. It means throwing from left to right, and is 

 done by bringing the point of your rod well up before you from right 

 to left side ; and then, turning over your hand, by the action of the wrist, 

 from left to right, throw backwards down stream, bringing rod and line 

 over in that direction, and sending the casting-line sharply obliquely 

 across the water below you, on the right side. This is a good way of 

 casting when there are obstructions, trees, rocks, high banks, behind 

 you ; and at the same time it eases your arm when fatigued with casting 

 from the right shoulder. Being able so to cast, that your gut-line will 

 touch the water first, bringing with it on to the surface very little of the 

 winch-line, you may commence operations in earnest, and with three 

 flies. In throwing a long line, the right arm motion must be no longer 

 confined to the hand and fore-arm, but must extend to the shoulder. 

 All the powers of the muscles of the fore, upper arm and shoulder must 

 be brought into requisition. The arm must be brought round in a full 

 easy sweep until the hand and rod come over the shoulder, and above 

 and by the right side of the head, and then the line and flies must be 

 sent forwards with a vigorous fling. 



The flies are humoured on the water with the current, and not against 

 it, as they are humoured in fishing for salmon. Throw them obliquely 

 from you across the stream, and work them downwards, giving them 

 motion by tremulous action of the wrist, and working them with the 

 current ; and the line having floated to its tightened length, work the 

 flies across stream, but not against it, until they have nearly reached the 

 bank below on your side. Take them then from the water, and repeat 

 the cast either above or below the previous one above, if you are fishing 

 a river upwards ; below, if you are fishing downwards, or with the flow 

 of the water. Anglers disagree on the question of fishing up and down 

 stream. In my opinion, it is better to begin fishing towards the tail of 

 a stream, finishing at its head, for by so doing fewer fish are disturbed 

 than by the effects that follow commencing at the head of a pool, swim, 

 or stream. A hooked-fish generally runs down stream, and will disturb 

 the fish before him. If, fishing up stream, you have already thrown over 

 fish above you without raising them, their being disturbed or frightened 

 by the struggling hooked-fish will be of no consequence. Having already 

 refused your lures, you may leave them, for the time being at least, in 

 their unscared tranquillity. Invariably commence casting near the bank 

 on which you stand, increasing the lengths of your casts until you throw 

 as far from you as you can. If you commence with long casts, you 

 would disturb the fish that lie in that part of the water nearest to you. 

 The following passage, written by me six years since, has been lauded 

 by practitioners and quoted by the best writers on angling : " In what 

 precise shape artificial flies floating on the water, or just beneath it, pre- 



