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ing himself to be the party "wanted." A novice, 

 who has heard or read that the perfection of the 

 angler's art is " to fish fine and far off," is often fond of 

 making his first essays with a long line, even in a 

 stream, which he might command with a line the 

 length of his rod. As might be expected, he entan- 

 gles his line in some part of his dress, about his 

 hat, the buttons at the back of his coat, or at its 

 cuffs ; and if there be a bush or tree within reach he 

 is sure to catch it. When he does succeed in making 

 a long cast it is without his tail fly or stretcher, which 

 he is certain to crack off in making his return 

 stroke, which he fetches, with might and main, at the 

 water, weilding his rod like a forge-hammer. Though 

 it be true that to fish fine and far off is the test of 

 an angler's skill in the management of his rod, yet 

 no proficient in the art will use a long line when a 

 short one will serve his purpose. If the object be to 

 catch trout, the way to succeed is not by throwing 

 a long line, however lightly, five or six yards beyond 

 where they lie. Though wading be sometimes ne- 

 cessary, either when the line cannot be thrown 

 clear, on account of trees and bushes on the banks 

 of a stream, or when that part of the water where 

 the fish lie cannot be otherwise reached yet no 

 person of sense will wet his feet when he may 

 follow his sport dry-shod. Water-proof boots are 

 generally recommended to " waders," and they who 

 like them may use them. In our opinion, the 

 angler can wade in nothing better than shoes and 



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