DAY FISHING WITH FLY 73 



line must neither retard the run of the fly, nor precede the 

 lure. This endeavour to obviate the objectionable drag 

 may, at first, produce some heart-burnings, but by 

 practice, and practice alone, the fault can be eradicated. 



If your efforts do not bear fruit immediately, try 

 manipulating the tip of your rod and, at the same time, 

 recover the slack of the line with your disengaged hand. 

 You can either pull the surplus line into a long loop, or 

 coil it in your hand. Ultimately you will correct the 

 defect unconsciously. 



On learning to drive a car you have to think of all the 

 various actions when you change down, but with years 

 of experience you effect the change mechanically and 

 you would probably have difficulty, on the spur of the 

 moment, in stating in detail exactly what you have done. 

 SQ with a dragging line you scarcely know what steps 

 you have taken to free the tendency, as the operation 

 becomes second nature. 



Do not forget to study your background, when fishing 

 in daylight for sea-trout. If the land is flat behind you, 

 and you and your flashing rod are silhouetted against the 

 sky, you must stand far back on the bank. If the ground 

 in your rear rises abruptly, you and your movements are, 

 to a certain extent, camouflaged, but, even so, I urge 

 you to keep away from the water as far as your ability 

 to throw a good line permits. 



When I stroll along a favourite river-bank and see my 

 friends trying for sea-trout, I cannot help noticing the 

 distance each stands back from the river. A stranger 

 might think that a competition for long distance casting 

 is in progress, but these old and seasoned hands know the 

 value of keeping out of the sea-trout's sight, and I trow 

 that each of these anglers would tell you that his entire 

 success is due to the essential need of working unseen. 



If I have laboured this item of seclusion overmuch, I 



