THE EIGHT-HAND CAST. 151 



going to hit something elevated before you with the soft 

 part of your closed hand, on the little-finger side. 



" If all this compound action — bringing back the rod and 

 line over the right shoulder, and then sharply sending them 

 forward — be performed dashingly and energetically, with- 

 out nervousness, stint of sweep and strength, your fly will 

 be sent straight away to its destination, similarly to, but 

 not so swiftly as an arrow shot from above at an object 

 sitting beneath you on the water, at a distance of five-aud- 

 twenty or thirty yards. The straight casts, whether from 

 the left or right shoulder, are, generally speaking, the 

 best. At any rate, executed by a proficient, they are always 

 the neatest, and should by beginners be the first learnt 

 and practised to perfection. 



" They can be performed with great accuracy, so as to en- 

 able the angler to determine almost to an inch the precise 

 spot on which his fly is to fall. They cause the fly and 

 casting-line to touch the water first, and enable you to com- 

 mence working the fly, or showing it to the fish, sooner 

 than you could do if much of the winch-line came in con- 

 tact with the water simultaneously with the casting-line. 

 The efi'ect of the straight-cast is less disturbance to the 

 water than that of any species of cast ; the only defect that 

 can be attached to it is, that you cannot by its means throw 

 so far as by using the side, or rolling-cast, but you can 

 throw it more neatly. 



" Your fly and gut-line must fall always first upon the 

 water, and not roll on to it by means of the winch-line first 

 coming into contact with the liquid surface. The rolling 

 descent of the line and fly should be avoided totis veribus, 

 with mortal might aud main. The error of the majority 



