THE PIKE. 



47 



free below the top ring on rod. After seeing that all is 

 clear, you face exactly the place on the water where you 

 want the bait to drop; keep your eyes fixed on the exact 

 spot where you would like that bait to strike the water, 

 never mind looking at the bait just when the cast has com- 

 menced, if all is clear, it will look after itself very well. To 

 make the cast you swing the rod point to your right-hand 

 side and partly behind you; then with another, but this 

 time a much more smarter forward swing, you bring the rod 

 over the water. As soon as ever the bait swings forward 

 you partly release the reel by easing the pressure of your 

 finger on the revolving front rim, taking care, however, that 

 this pressure is not altogether removed, or the reel will over- 

 run, and also minding at the same time that this pressure is 

 not too tight, or the bait will be checked and drop on the 

 bank to your left hand. Your finger should just feel the 

 rim of the reel, and that is all. As soon as the bait strikes 

 the water the finger is pressed tight on the reel edge, so as 

 to effectually stop any further revolutions. Still keeping 

 hold of the rod and reel with the left hand close at the top 

 of the reel, as already described, you press the knob or but- 

 ton of the rod into the hollow of the left thigh, and leave go 

 of the rod with the right hand, which hand is brought down 

 and takes hold of the reel handles on purpose to wind the 

 bait home again. With a little practice these three opera- 

 tions can be performed in a couple of seconds with the ease 

 and regularity of clockwork, viz., stopping the reel by a pres- 

 sure of the finger as soon as the bait drops into the water, 

 pressing the butt end of the rod into the hollow of the thigh, 

 and leaving go with the right hand (which in making the 

 cast was 9 or lo inches above the reel) in order to wind in 

 the bait This is what I call the proper right-handed cast ; 

 in fact, by this plan I can cast the bait to the right hand or 

 to the left, or even straight fonvard, although in the case of 

 a bait being required to be thrown wide to the right hand, I 

 usually bring my rod over the left shoulder instead of the 

 right, as described before ; but in any of the three directions 

 I hold rod and reel in the same hand and in the same man- 

 ner. In this right-handed cast the most natural direction 

 for the bait to travel is wide to the left hand, in a slanting 



