Now the fly will go over the fish before the leader will. It's a good idea to feed out some additional slack line as soon as the fly lands. This further extends the upcoming drift of your fly. (Trying to feed out slack at the last second, just as it comes to the fish, usually causes drag.) If the fly has landed beyond the trout's feed lane, simply lift the rod tip upstream and back until it skids the fly into place. Then drop the rod tip and carry on. If it's too short, recast, but only if it's still far enough upstream to be out of the trout's field of vision; otherwise, let it drift by him first.

3. Now that the fly is in the fish's feed lane, pay out slack and follow the fly's progress with your rod tip and body. At the end of the drift you'll be leaning and pointing the rod downstream. This technique is commonly used on larger flat-water rivers where anglers can move into desired positions to cast to picky fish. If a large, steady-, and slow-rising trout is your quarry, pause half a second before setting the hook. Otherwise, you'll pull the fly out of his still unclosed mouth. Wait until his head goes back under before snugging up (not jerking) on the line. Then be ready for a run!