10 TO PREVENT FOULING 



rather insecurely on the top of your rod, and that from 

 the first position, as shown in Plate I., you have, by a 

 steady but increasing force, to switch this piece of clay 

 backward over your shoulder in a horizontal direction. 

 The force should therefore gradually accumulate from 

 the commencement of the stroke, and culminate at the 

 end (see Plate IV.). This would of necessity jerk the 

 clay off the rod backward at the sudden conclusion of 

 the stroke. 



Diagram 1 shows the angles made by the rod in 

 the back cast. Diagram 2 shows the increase of 

 force and the direction taken by the line, etc., which 

 will be in the same plane as that described by the 

 rod. 



The force employed in the back stroke should be 

 sufficient to extend the line behind after the backward 

 action of the rod has been arrested, and, having thus 

 extended itself, it will fall to the ground in a more or 

 less straight line behind you. Later on, when fishing, 

 you may find your line during a long back cast coming 

 into collision with your rod, and you will learn to make 

 a slight curve with the rod to one side or the other 

 during the back stroke, thus keeping the rod clear of 

 the line in its backward course. This collision may be 

 due either to a side wind, a faulty back stroke, or from 

 using too long a line. If a correct motion of the back 

 cast is made when using a medium length of line, it is 

 sufficient to lift the line above the level of the top of 

 the rod as the line travels backward. The longer the 

 line used, however, the less power will this upward 



