FOREWORD 



Here then is " Practical Fly Fishing," a companion 

 book to my " Practical Bait Casting," and like that lit- 

 tle work this is offered mainly as a text book to help the 

 novice through places where there is rocky bottom, 

 rough water and other hard wading. 



It will be noted that I have devoted more space, 

 proportionately, to fly fishing for black bass than have 

 other writers, for the following reasons: the more 

 general distribution of the bass offers a far greater 

 number of anglers an opportunity to take them on a 

 fly rod ; it is a phase of angling that is becoming amaz- 

 ingly popular; it is a subject that most angling writers 

 have neglected and on which there is little definite 

 data. 



I acknowledge with thanks permission granted me 

 by the publishers of the " Chicago Tribune " to include 

 here some material that I had written for their col- 

 umns. I also thank Call J. McCarthy for posing for 

 pictures; Oscar G. Lundberg for taking them; Wil- 

 liam Mills & Son, Abbey & Imbrie and Hardy 

 Brothers for permission to reproduce illustrations from 

 their catalogues and many brothers of the angle who 

 have otherwise assisted me may the South Wind 

 always blow when they go a-angling. 



LARRY ST. JOHN. 



