6 4 LAKE AND STREAM GAME FISHING 

 TRYING OUT THE CAST 



Peg down a newspaper or small cloth on the lawn, 

 take a position facing it, say 25 feet away, place the 

 reel on the underside of the rod with the handle to 

 the right and keep it there at all times. Grasp the 

 rod in the right hand, reel under, with the thumb 

 straight along the top of the grip never curved 

 around the grip. Cast out about ten feet of line let- 

 ting it fall in front of you on a line with the target 

 and with the left hand unreel about fifteen feet of 

 line do not pass this line through the guides and 

 out the tip, but let it drop to the ground at your feet, 

 retaining a hold on the line about a foot this side of 

 the first guide. Now point your rod at the target, 

 keeping your arm as far as the elbow close to the 

 body (this is essential, because the forearm and wrist 

 must do the work) swing the rod up to a vertical 

 position, slowly at first, taking up loose line, and end 

 with a strong, quick wrist and forearm motion. 

 This throws the line in the air and the swing of the 

 rod carries it back over the shoulder, but be sure 

 to stop the cast when the thumb along the grip shows 

 that the rod is vertical; more casts are killed by too 

 much of a swing over the shoulder than any other 

 way. This is the first half of the cast and is called 

 the back cast. This cast causes the line to fly out 

 behind you and the instant you feel the slightest tug 

 on the rod you know that the line has straightened 



