CASTING THE NATURAL FLY. 147 



your rod twist as much line about it as you want, 

 and then inserting the point of your rod through 

 the branches, as far as it is requisite, twirl it 

 round so as to uncoil your line and to drop your 

 natural bait gently on the water. 



You can cast or throw the natural fly, but not so 

 well as the artificial one. Use a long, rather stiff 

 rod, with a long, taper casting-line, long enough 

 to use without having much of your reel-line out. 

 Cast with a gentle motion of the fore arm, bring- 

 ing round your line softly, avoiding any thing 

 like whipping violence, and making your bait 

 float on to the surface of the water. Where the 

 width of the river runs nearly equal, use no winch, 

 but attach your casting-line to the top joint of 

 your rod, and you will be able to throw, without 

 whipping off your bait. On this head Mr. Blaine 

 observes, "Whipping, as a term, can only be 

 applicable by a licence of language, to the act of 

 whipping out a natural fly, after the manner of a 

 short throw with an artificial one ; but it is evi- 

 dent that the tender nature of the living insect 

 will admit of this but in a few instances. Some 

 of the house-flies, the bluebottle especially, and 

 others of the middling-sized beetles, as well as 

 the humble bees, will bear a partial or short 

 throw, but a short one only." Notwithstanding 

 this opinion, which is partly correct, I know that 



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