Practical Dry-Fly Fishing 



trout, which may take the fly at the 

 next cast as if nothing out of the usual 

 had happened. 



"Dry casts," or "false casts," play 

 a most important part in dry-fly fish- 

 ing, and are seldom used by fishermen 

 who are not accustomed to this method 

 of angling. In wet fly fishing it is 

 customary to lift the fly or flies from 

 the water, and after the back-cast to 

 make immediately another forward 

 cast, again placing the lure or lures on 

 the water. But it is one of the cardi- 

 nal principles of dry-fly fishing not to 

 allow the fly to touch the water until 

 it has reached the exact spot previously 

 picked out by the angler. The line is 

 always lengthened by false casts, or 

 casts in the air, and the fly is not al- 

 lowed to touch the surface of the 

 stream until the angler sees that it 

 will reach the desired position. The 



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