' CASTING THE UNDER-HAND LINE. 105 



or more skilful companions are filling their baskets 

 with fish. Whenever the line appears in danger of get- 

 ting fouled, by no means hastily attempt to pull it away, 

 as most people do, otherwise you will most assuredly 

 firmly fix the hooks in the offending object, if they were 

 not so before ; but coolly and deliberately toss more of 

 the slack line towards the impediment, and then give it 

 a gentle shake, when it will in most cases float off in 

 the wind. If, however, the hooks are fixed in it, then 

 there is no other alternative (in the absence of a clearing- 

 ring) than to wade in for it, or by applying a steady 

 strain upon it, to break the line as near to the extremity 

 as possible. 



When the banks are encumbered with trees or bushes, 

 the line must be cast as what is called " an under-hand 

 line," so as to tuck the flies underneath the overhanging 

 boughs, places most frequented by large trout in all 

 rivers. In order to do this, the fisher should proceed 

 as follows : After having brought both rod and line 

 parallel with either the right or left side, according to 

 the direction of the wind, and on the latter attaining 

 its full stretch, lower the tip of the rod into a horizontal 

 position, and with a quick jerk of the wrist cast the line 

 horizontally across and up the stream, and obliquely 

 against the wind if possible, when the flies will glide 

 smoothly and neatly in a side-long direction under the 

 impediments, and alight quietly on the water, when they 

 will most likely be at once taken if a trout be there. 



I should also observe here, that in the casting of the 

 fly-line, much more depends upon a peculiar action of 



