16

THROWING THE LINE AND FLIES.

lower ribs. Your position, the limbs, &c. arranged in the above way, will be easy and graceful, allowing free play to all the muscles required to be brought into action.

I deem you now sufficiently skilled by practice to throw four or five yards of line well, and with satisfactory ease. Double, then, the length of your line out. The right-arm motion must be no longer limited to the wrist, fore-arm, and elbow joint, but must extend to the upper and shoulder joint. The os humeri and deltoid muscle must be called into requisition with fine free vigour, but not with so much of the latter as if you were about to strike a knock-down blow. The whole of the arm must be brought round to the right with an easy, large sweep, and the line thrown forward well from the shoulder. There must be no coachman-like jerk with the wrist backwards, as the front portion of the line is descending to the water, but the hand must follow the rod, and stop by a well-timed degree of suddenness, so that the line will fall on the water with a somewhat quick-not plashing-rather than a lazy floating motion.

As soon as you can throw from eight to ten yards of your reel-line with the power of making not more than a yard or two of the front portion of it fall lightly on the water, and in whatsoever direction you may chcose, add to it what is called

THROWING THE LINE.

17

the 'foot' or 'casting-line' of moderately thick silkworm gut, in length about two yards. You will now have ten yards of line, more or less, to throw with, and you must practise until you can cause the gut-line to fall upon the water before any part of the reel-line touches it. Do not be in a hurry to put on flies and fish. When you have succeeded in throwing your gut-line with freedom, with the ability of making it alight first upon the water-when you can prevent the top of your rod from descending too low-when you can hinder any part of your reel-line from making a more rapid descent than your casting-line,—you may begin to throw from left to right, with a backward twist or slight sweep of the wrist and arm. Hitherto you have been throwing from right to left, and that is the proper and most common way. But circumstances will arise, caused by the direction of the wind, your position with regard to the water, and obstructions on and in it, in the shape of trees, roots, rocks, &c., that will force you to cast from left to right, and sometimes underhand, as it were.

I shall say nothing of throwing with the left hand, because you may, if you like, become able to do so, when you have learned to throw overhand and underhand with the right arm. It is not by any means a necessary accomplishment. You have begun throwing by moving the point

C

18

BACK-HANDED THROWING.

of your rod from left to right over your right shoulder, bringing it parallel with the right side of your head, and you have then been taught to cast straightforwards, or rather from right to left. If you have learned to do all this well, have no fear; you must succeed in fly-fishing. But to be still more au fait in throwing the line, take the end of it in your left hand, and bringing the point of the rod to that side, move your wrist and forearm backwards to the right, turning the hand up, so that the finger-nails will point to you. Let go the line, and its point will pass first slightly to the left of you, and then turn over and fall on the water on your right side. Although you will not be able to throw in this way so long a line as overhanded from right to left, you will be able to throw it to a moderate distance easily and lightly. Take a coachman's whip in your hand, and work it right and left, that is, fling the thong sharply and shortly before you to each side, making the lash crack each time, and you will acquire a freedom in the wrist (but nothing more) that will be of service to you in handling the fly-rod. A coachman driving four-in-hand, with a long, limber whip-handle and tapering thong, very frequently uses the fly-fisher's motions, but does so in a manner too cramped, sudden, harsh, and violent. Observe him touching playfully the heads of his leaders with the point of the lash,

PRACTICE BETTER THAN PRECEPT.

19

now the off-leader on the right side, and then the near-leader on the left side about the ear, and you will see how he works from right to left and from left to right. Imitate him, but most cautiously. Try and catch his ease and neatness, but avoid the narrowness of the circles he describes with whip-handle and thong, and the rapidity and jerking of his wrist-motions.

All you now want is to throw with precision. Let there be a mark in the water, and first try to throw a little above it, and in the next cast, to throw a little below it. Then try to throw upon it, over it, beyond it, and on your own side of it. Having succeeded in throwing with accuracy where there are no obstructions, seek spots of the river where they exist-where there are overhanging branches of trees, weeds, rocks, or the ends of piles appearing above the surface of the water. Practise in these difficult spots assiduously until you can surmount the obstructions, and are generally able to avoid getting entangled amongst them.

Practical observation is better than any written lesson, because example-good example I here mean of course- -is far more cogent than precept. When you see an old fly-fisher of acknowledged reputation on the water, watch his movements, and gain knowledge from what you see as well as from what you hear.. You see, most likely,

20

PUTTING ON THE FLIES.

that he performs what you cannot. Observe his method, follow it, and you will overcome what had hitherto been a difficulty to you. If he permits you to accompany him during the day, do so; and if he will give you any oral instructions, be thankful to him. If happily they agree with those you will find in this book, practise them perseveringly. Attend always to a multitude of corroborating, intelligent, and disinterested witnesses.

You have been all this while learning to cast with reel-line and casting-line without any flies on the latter. Commence with a single fly of rather large size, dressed on a full length of gut, and looped to the end of your casting-line. That fly is your tail-fly, or 'stretcher.' You may soon be informed of your proficiency in throwing this fly. The information will be conveyed to you in the very pleasantest way, viz. by fish rising at your fly. When large ones do so, it is a proof that you have thrown your fly properly on the water, and you may now add a second fly, which will be your first dropper.' It should be a size smaller than your stretcher, and fastened on a yard higher up from it at one of the joinings of your casting-line. During your first season I advise not to fish with more than two flies on you your line at the same time. You may lengthen your casting-line from two yards to three, and