378 



THE SALMON FLY. 



the easy, apparently indifferent and undesigning attitude which they 

 assume towards the fish. 



Great as is the divergence of principle and method adopted in fishing 

 the various places just mentioned there is a singular resemblance in respect 

 of casting straight. The thing is this always endeavour to let the cast 

 be made so that the fly may be " fished " at once. When this can be 

 attained without " mending," you may be sure that your cast has been 

 made by a suitable method. The fly cannot fish at once by, say, the Spey 

 cast, when the line is propelled along the surface of the water, because, 

 by the time the fly alights, the current has carried down river the 

 middle part of the running line, and instead of the fly- fishing, it will be 

 drifting ruthlessly across stream headforemost. I strongly recommend 

 the employment of the " Overhand " wherever it can be made. 



The word " stratowa, means not merely that the line itself shall be 

 pretty straight when laid down on the water, but also that the Angler 

 aims straightight 'rds such a point that the line shall reach the water at 



N 



a certain angle from him. As regards the scope of that angle people 

 differ. Some cast across the water, but I never do so if it can be avoided, 

 for the best of all reasons that, as a rule, I kill far more fish when, for 



