LESSONS IN CASTING 57 



conditions arise, all of which must be differently 

 treated. At one part of a pool the " overhead " 

 cast may be suitable, while a few yards farther 

 on high banks or trees may be encountered, 

 necessitating a different cast, and here the " loop " 

 or " Spey " must be used. Or again, the pool 

 may be at a bend of the river, so that in fishing 

 it down, the wind prevents the same cast being 

 used throughout. In early spring fishing, it will 

 often be found that in consequence of the vary- 

 ing direction of the wind, two consecutive casts 

 cannot be made alike. The gusts have to be 

 watched, and the casts made to suit the ever- 

 changing conditions. One minute the wind may 

 be in your face, in which case the "loop" cast 

 is somewhat dangerous, therefore the " wind " 

 cast must be used, and so on. 



It leads us nowhere to find which athlete, 

 armed with a heavy rod, can cast a fly farthest, 

 as, after all, we do not want to cast 50 yards ; 

 as a matter of fact, 30 is about as much as one 

 need do, except in very occasional places, and 

 the 40-yard cast is better left to the strong man 

 and his big rod. 



To return to our lesson. The mistake the 

 beginner generally falls into, is putting too much 

 force into the cast. He should remember that 

 it is his province to start the line on its journey, 

 and guide its direction, but that the rod should 



