How to throw the Fly. 53 



Throwing the Fly. 



NOTHING gives an Angler greater confidence than when 

 he has mastered this difficult task; and I will pro- 

 ceed to show him how it is to be accomplished, in as 

 succinct a manner as possible. We will suppose that 

 rod, line, and stinting are all ready, save that his gut- 

 stinting is in stiff rings or coils, and does not look as if it 

 could be thrown by any means straight out. To remove 

 these, let him take a piece of India rubber and draw his 

 stinting over it. By this means he will straighten it at 

 once, instead of having to steep his line some time in the 

 water, a process recommended by previous writers ; but 

 which may thus be obviated and time saved, as well as 

 any deficiences discovered in the line before using it. 



There are few of my readers who will fail to remem-* 

 ber the sport they used to enjoy when boys in making 

 clay balls or pellets, or getting potatoe-apples when they 

 could be had, and casting them from the point of a 

 stiffish hazel stick at any object. If any one should re- 

 member the method of throwing these from the stick, and 

 hitting any object aimed at with them, he will know ex- 

 actly the way in which to throw the fly. He will also 

 not have forgotten how often he used to fail in casting 

 these pellets, &c. forward, and how frequently they fell 

 off behind him, when he was making the cast. Just so 

 if the Fly-fisher does not hit the right time in making 

 his forward cast, crack goes his fly behind him. But if 

 he make the proper sweep, and aim his fly with his rod in 

 the same manner as he used to do his pellet from the 

 hazel stick, he will just as certainly hit the spot aimed 

 at with the fly, as he used to plump the object with the 

 pellet or potatoe-apple. Of course, if there is a wind 



