PUBLIC 
LIB. 
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME, 161 
quill and had some very satisfactory results from it. I also tried a 
Wickham’s faney, and was not exactly disappointed with what took 
place. 
Third Tourist: But tell us, what causes ‘‘drag’’ and how can you 
prevent it? 
Angler: There is not much danger of a ‘‘drag’’ where the surface 
currents are steady. But if the stream is faster or slower at the spot 
where the feeding fish lies than it is between that spot and the place 
where you are standing, there is bound to be a drag if your line falls 
straight across the water. 
Third Tourist: But why? 
Angler: Because as soon as the line begins to float down, the swifter 
portion of the surface makes the line belly out. This causes the fly at 
the end to move toward the belly of the line, in other words, to ‘‘drag’’ 
on the surface. This can be corrected, to a certain extent, by causing 
the line to fall in a curve, either up or down stream, as the current 
requires. 
Second Tourist: But how can you make the line fall as it should? 
Angler: By making the cast in a horizontal plane—side stroke— 
instead of a vertical plane, or overhead stroke. 
Third Tourist: Tourist tells me that you hold your reel with the 
handle pointing to the left. Don’t you find it rather awkward to wind 
up the line with the left hand? 
Angler: Not so that you would notice it. I have brought some of 
my junk along and by using it to demonstrate with, I may be able to 
explain why I do this. Incidentally, I might remark that professional 
opinion tells me that my method is the right way, or as an authority 
recently told me, it is ‘‘academically the right way to fish.’’ 
Mrs. Tourist: What do you eall ‘‘ professional opinion ?’’ 
Angler: The expressed views of some of the leading manufacturers 
of fishing tackle. 
Now, here is my rod with the reel on it. (See Fig. 43.) You will 
observe that I hold the line with my second finger. It has the longest 
reach and consequently I can, without moving the rest of my hand, 
get hold of the loose line and secure it with less trouble than any of 
the other fingers. To release the line, when I have hooked a good, 
gamey fish, I merely straighten out my finger for a moment. If I 
use the reel in this manner I am never bothered with slack line, for 
as soon as the fly is delivered, I wind up any line that may be hanging 
in a loop. The second finger reaches out and hooks onto the line and 
brings it down to the hand grasp as you see now. If the handle of 
the reel stuck out to the right I could not do this, unless I had a third 
or supplementary arm and hand on the right side. I will admit 
that. with one exception all the angling writers advocate the handle 
of the reel to the right, but anyone who has tried the other way ‘and 
learned how to wind with the left hand, which is extremely easy to do, 
never goes back to the other position. 
ce ? 
