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description of fly is used, it must on no account be allowed to pass in 

 front of any one single lay-bye head first. This would assuredly 

 happen under the foregoing conditions unless some precautionary 

 measures were taken, because a portion of the line would be carried 

 away by the rough water, and " bellied " some distance below the fly. 



Let us be quite clear on this point. There, on the crest of the 

 swift, wave-like current, romping between the fly and the fisherman, 

 some yards of the line are swept along at full speed, naturally dragging 

 the belated fly, not broad side on, but head down stream in a course 

 quite different from that it should take. Left alone, the fl\- could not 

 possibly right itself soon enough, that is to say, not until the stream had 

 carried tlie line across into neutral waters. Accordingly the whole 

 proceeding would be worse than useless, ft would not only fail, but 

 scare the fish, and probabl)- bring on a " fit of the sulks," thus 

 reducing, if not ruining, the chances of success for some time to come. 



Wliat, therefore, are the precautionary measures necessary? 



To put it briefly, the cast has to be " mended." By no other 

 operation can the fly that falls beyond the rough water, where it ought 

 to fall, be properly presented. 



The method of mending a cnst, though simple, requires practice, 

 and is generally found least difficult to master on water where it is 

 most wanted. The object is to get that part of the line, which is 

 being bellied by the rough water, back, or rather well be\-ond the 

 place wlierc it originally fell, so that the fly is compelled to take a 

 correct course. This is managed, as soon as the line falls on the 

 water, easily and effectually, by making a quick horizontal movement 

 of the rod inwards, and, witli plenty of wrist action, a smart semi- 

 circular swish back again, ft is notorious that there is considerable 



