CHAPTEE V. 



CASTING. 



How to cast How to manoeuvre the Flies Willowing a Fly The 

 Underhand Line How to strike a Fish How to play and land 

 a Large Trout HOAV to fish a Elver. 



EEAT nicety and care are required in the formation 

 VJT of a good fly-cast. If it is not regularly tapered, 

 and regulated in weight from the end of the reel-line 

 down to the tail-fly, it never can be smoothly and nicely 

 laid upon the water. In order to effect this, a few thick 

 round linjks of gut should be selected for the upper part 

 of the line, and successive finer lengths attached in re- 

 gular gradation to the end. The finer the material (pro- 

 vided it be composed of sound round gut), the greater 

 will be the chances of sport, especially in small clear 

 waters. To this end, all the knots which join the dif- 

 ferent lengths together, as well as the attachments of the 

 drop-flies, must be equally neat and unobtrusive. I have 

 seen a line put together by a clumsy-fisted fellow, with 

 the knots protruding like wren's eggs, and loops attach- 

 ing the droppers which a child twelve months old might 

 stop its head through. " Verily, he would have his re- 

 ward," when he came to use it ! 



A very neat method of joining gut-links together is 



